The Novelist's Film (2022, Hong Sang-soo) (Patreon)

48/100

Mildly dull to watch, mildly interesting to think about afterward. Hong really spells it right out here: "The story's not that important," insists the titular novelist, explaining that while she does intend to write a slim narrative for her proposed film (which definitely won't be a documentary), "that story won't prevent the real things emerging from the situation I set up." Serendipity from minimal planning, hmm, whose current modus operandi is that? I've run hot and cold on the results, but this one feels decidedly lukewarm, with little going on apart from the implicit self-interrogation/justification. By far the most fascinating moment involves a little girl who appears to just wander into one of Hong's standard lengthy two-shots, staring at the camera through a restaurant window for some time before walking away, then eventually returning...at which point Kim Min-hee's character (or is it Kim herself?) goes outside to talk with her, their exchange unheard through the glass. I have no idea whether or not this odd interlude was staged, and somehow feel as if googling to find out would be cheating—after all, it works for the film's explicit thesis either way, as a "real thing" (even if it's manufactured) that emerges from the film's loose collection of people and ideas. Like the mystery dude in On the Beach at Night Alone, though, it's not sufficient in itself to maintain my interest, and this particular gang of artists—one author, one film director, one actor, one poet, all renowned—inspires a tedious amount of mutual admiration, with everyone telling each other what huge fans they are. Lots of pandemic masks worn throughout, confirming my sense that they're gonna be ruinous to a gazillion performances from and about this era. Ultimately, this just feels like Hong sticking up for his method, which okay, sure. Sometimes it pays off! Not so much this time imo. 

Fun fact: The Korean word for "charisma" is apparently "charisma." (It gets said a lot.)