Friday, April 22, 2011
Hahaha (하하하)
Based on films directed by Korean auteur
Hong Sang-soo
(홍상수) so far, I can safely come up two
conclusions: he is obsessed about exploring the courtship of men
toward women, and he loves to see his characters drinking. He
frequently puts the word "woman" in his films' titles. For example,
"Woman on the
Beach" (해변의 여인),
"Woman Is the Future of
Man" (여자는 남자의
미래다), and
"Virgin Stripped Bare by
Her Bachelors" (오! 수정)—that
"virgin" refers to a woman. As for drinking, can anybody even count
how many drinking scenes in his films? Although his newest film
continues to tell a story about the courtship over drinks, the title
is a quite original and modern (like a text message or a Facebook
update):
"Hahaha"
(하하하 | South Korea 2010 | in Korea | 115
min.). The film is just like its title—unusual, lighthearted,
funny, and hahaha.
In the film, film director (the character, not Hong) Jo Moon-kyeong (Kim Sang-kyung) meets up his film critic friend Bang Jong-sik (Yu Jun-Sang) in Tongyeong before Moon-kyeong moves to Canada. Over drinks, they talk about their past happy moments in Tongyeong. Whenever a happy moment is flashed back, they cheer and have a sip. Of course, these moments almost always involve relationships with women, including a tour guide Wang Seong-ok (Moon So-Ri) who is also an amateur poet.
When more and more moments are revealed, and more and more drinking cups are emptied, the audience begins to realize that these two friends may be telling the same moments without even knowing it.
The twisted plot unfolds playfully and effortlessly, even you may wonder from time to time if you are the one who are having too much to drink, instead of the characters. The film certainly has Hong's signature style and his everlasting theme: courtship with women.
In the end, we can sense that Hong is the one who has the most fun making this film. He is the one laughing while many of us might be pondering what kind of joke he has been artfully telling in this film.
Labels: SFiFF2011
