In Front of Your Face

Hong Sang-soo's films are a universe unto themselves. The Korean filmmaker has spent two decades polishing a very personal style that's deceptively simple on the surface but rich and nuanced, featuring deep reflections on life and – often – cinema itself.

In In Front of Your Face, Hong presents the story of an actress returning to her native Korea to meet a film director who wants to collaborate with her for his next film. She has already rejected the offer but is willing to explain her reasons. During her visit, she stays with her sister, whom she hasn’t seen in a long time. As always with Hong, it is the lack of pretension that makes In Front of Your Face a rewarding watch, as well as the director's ability to slowly reveal information through the most mundane dialogues, where details are not shown but subtly suggested. The results here might be the saddest in Hong's career, touching on topics like illness and death in a way he’s never done before, but without giving up his particular sense of humour and the obligatory drunken conversations.

Hong’s visual style can look almost amateur, but he’s reached a point where he’s realised that all he needs is good actors and a sharp script. He believes in the simplicity of his images and the subtle power of his narrative. In Front of Your Face is a discreet, heartfelt piece of cinema that doesn’t need much means to establish itself as a relevant and intellectually stimulating work.

---

Released 23 Sep by New Wave; certificate 12A