In Water

"A director, a cinematographer, and an actress spend the days leading up to a movie shoot together on-location, waiting for the director to come up with an idea for what the film will be about."

Typical Hong Sang Soo. Relatively short, which is a blessing this time, because most of the time Hong's creative choices regarding framing, looping, repetition, time shifts, etcetera are, although gimmicky, somehow handled adeptly and work overall.

Here, the choice to shoot most of the film out of focus, supposedly as a representation of the protagonist's creative block and inability to focus on what exactly he wants, made the viewing experience annoying and distracting. Unlike his other films, this inhibited an involvement with the characters and storyline.

This movie has been crafted with care. It's not a 'blah blah' movie; it presents a clear perspective on anxiety, depression, loneliness, and friendship. As someone who experiences depression, I can confirm the authenticity of the dialogues and motives.

In some scenes, I felt the heat, while in others, I felt naked and terrified of being exposed. I asked myself how Hong Sang-soo knew my deepest secrets and why he shared them with so many.

Telling such a long story in just one hour and a minute is extraordinary.

Got nothing else to say, but this stupid app keeps asking me to continue writing and waste time.