The Novelist’s Film

Dir. Hong Sangsoo. 2022, 92 mins. DCP. In Korean with English subtitles. With Kim Minhee, Lee Hyeyoung, Seo Younghwa, Park Miso, Kwon Haehyo, Cho Yunhee, Ha Seongguk, Ki Joobong, Lee Eunmi, Kim Siha. After her mesmerizing work in Hong’s In Front of Your Face, Lee Hyeyoung gives another standout, ruminative performance as a cantankerous middle-aged novelist who hasn’t written in years and is in desperate need of a new creative outlet. As the film begins, she is reuniting with an old friend, a bookshop owner, and the two have a conversation that triggers her insecurity, setting her out on a series of perambulations that lead her to a fortuitous meeting with a famous actress (Kim Minhee), whose career has fallen by the wayside and who also has been desiring artistic fulfillment. All the Hong hallmarks are there—soju-soaked conversations, poison-barbed friendly quips, a seemingly loose structure that conceals a rigorous form—though this latest film harbors many surprises, leading to an almost transcendent conclusion that shifts the aesthetic format in a delightful, hopeful manner. 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.

To see all three films by Hong Sangsoo on January 1—Introduction, In Front of Your Face, and The Novelist’s Film—consider purchasing a discounted triple-feature ticket for $25. Order here.