‘A Traveler’s Needs’: Berlin Review

Dir/scr: Hong Sangsoo. South Korea. 2024. 90 minutes

As in Hong Sangsoo’s 2012 three-parter One other Nation, A Traveler’s Wants finds Isabelle Huppert as a Frenchwoman in Korea. She is Iris, a lady who make a dwelling instructing French and, whereas by no means revealing a lot about herself, is uncannily gifted at getting others to speak about themselves and their emotions; snippets of data which she then interprets into poetic, philosophically insightful French. The artwork of translation – which matches hand in hand with the empathetic expertise of the poet, or the psychotherapist – could be very a lot on the coronary heart of a movie that performs cleverly with its three completely different languages (English, French, Korean).

Refined and gently perplexing, however very satisfying certainly

Huppert as soon as spoofed her personal famously intense work ethic when guest-starring in French Netflix present Name My Agent!. In her episode, the actress was in hassle for taking pictures two motion pictures without delay – however the payoff was that she was additionally being discreetly adopted by a Korean director with a digital camera, quietly filming her on the facet for a 3rd, no-budget characteristic. The joke was clearly a wink at Hong Sangsoo, presumably the one particular person in cinema almost as industrious as Huppert.

He now directs her for the third time, following In One other Nation and the Cannes-set Claire’s Digicam. This Berlin competitors entry, his thirty first characteristic, is manifestly Hong in each shot – which of his movies just isn’t? – however additionally it is considered one of his extra enigmatic and alluring works. With Huppert concerned, and dialogue primarily in English, it’s prone to get a little bit extra worldwide publicity than regular, however its attribute obliqueness.

Iris is first seen giving a younger lady a French lesson, following an uncommon – and, she reveals, fully untested – technique of her personal devising. Throughout their dialog in English, she coaxes out some clues to what her scholar is feeling, then writes down phrases in French on index playing cards for her to review, additionally offering a cassette recording. She later visits a middle-aged couple, each movie executives, Wonju (Lee Hyeyoung) and her husband (Kwon Haehyo). Wonju exhibits some scepticism about Iris’s technique, however the three nonetheless get alongside famously and go for a stroll, throughout which Iris takes an curiosity in a verse carved on a stone. The index playing cards are handed over and Iris pockets her price for the lesson, though the three of them have barely spoken a phrase of French.

Iris then goes to the flat of a younger man, Inguk (Ha Seongguk), with whom she is staying; regardless of their age distinction, it seems that they’re at the least very intimate associates. That’s apparently why Iris makes herself scarce when Inguk will get a shock go to from his mom (Cho Yunhee) who’s more and more puzzled by – and finally livid about – her son’s relationship with a lady about whom he apparently is aware of nothing.

Certainly, we study nothing about Iris – nothing about her previous life, nor her current, nor what she’s doing in Korea within the first place. Which is the place the movie takes on a sure self-referential dimension: even when no-one is aware of a factor about Iris, the viewer most likely is aware of a lot about Huppert, about her previous roles in Hong’s movies and numerous others, and will probably be bringing that data to A Traveler’s Wants.

The Name My Agent! gag would possibly recommend that the super-prolific Hong simply knocks off his movies any outdated how. However, as ever, there may be immensely exact craft at work on this movie (though early scenes recommend a level of free, improvised limbering up). There may be definitely lots of refined patterning right here: three characters immediately moved to present Iris a style of their musical abilities; two poems inscribed in stone, by Twentieth-century Korean author Yoon Dongju; the curious use of a sure shade of inexperienced in Iris’s cardigan, her ballpoint pen and a flat roof on which her espadrilles emit comedian squishing sounds.

Huppert performs it relaxed, by turns tender, calm and a contact impish, as when she sniffs out the aroma of a stew that Inguk’s mom is cooking. Her Iris is a nonetheless, however not fairly clean centre round which the opposite performances revolve – the playoff between Hong Sangsoo long-timers Lee Hyeyoung and Kwon Haehyo as husband and spouse, respectively commanding and a little bit dorky, and between Ha Seongguk and Cho Yunhee because the awkward Inguk and his possessive, emotionally fragile mom.

By the point a number of bottles of Korean alcohol have been quaffed – not soju this time, however cloudy rice wine magkeolli – A Traveler’s Wants reaches its quietly elusive ending by way of enigmatic modifying and a few decidedly off-key recorder taking part in. The viewer won’t come away with any solutions, however could retain a selected line of poetry that Iris interprets: “My path is at all times a brand new path.” Hong Sangsoo followers would say that undoubtedly applies to this director, even when the trail appears unusually related; on this case, the novelty is refined and gently perplexing, however very satisfying certainly.