Song Seon-mi stars as Jeong-su, a famous actor in her 40s who has taken a career break due to motherhood and divorce, now returning as a single mum in a low-key indie film. The film, shot in black-and-white, features three back-to-back interviews with interchangeable journalists, focusing on human interest rather than the film itself—a structural joke. Jeong-su offers beer to the interviewers, who mostly decline, and becomes tearful discussing her divorce, advising one young woman not to live without love. Between interviews, she vapes or smokes outside, worrying she has said too much. Later, she calls an interviewer to request edits, showing a tough diva side.
Subtle Satire and Autofictional Acting Class
The film feels like a gentle satire, reminiscent of Hugh Grant's interview scenes in Notting Hill. After the interviews, Jeong-su attends an acting class she mentioned—not a pantomime of humility. Her assignment is autofictional: recreate the interviews with a classmate playing the journalist. She conflates the three conversations but adds Buddhist observations about reality and experiencing life fully. This fourth conversation is no more contrived than the first three, yielding real self-knowledge without overt cinematic cues. The film withholds meaning like a short story, quietly engrossing.
Hong Sang-soo's Signature Style
Hong Sang-soo's trademarks are present: long scenes from a single static camera, sudden unobtrusive zooms, and characters day-drinking. The film features a female star pondering her career and life choices—a key Hong trope. No film-maker shows more day-drinking than Hong, and this study of an actor returning from a career break is the same again, mysteriously addictive. The title itself is a riddle, adding to the poignancy and mystery. The film is at the ICA, London from 17 July.
