On the Beach at Night Alone

Kim Min-hee (The Handmaiden) won the best actress award at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival for her soulful performance in this romantic dramedy by Hong Sang-soo. Kim plays Younghee, a famous actress who, during a self-imposed exile in Hamburg and then with the help of hard-drinking friends back home, grapples with the end of her affair with an older, married film director. In fact, Hong and Kim’s real-life affair was tabloid fodder in Korea. This cinematic response from two accomplished artists is one of Hong’s most elegantly structured and emotionally heartfelt achievements—a moving reflection on regret, loneliness, and the fleeting power of love. (Dir.: Hong Sang-soo, Korea, 2017, 101 min., DCP, English and Korean with English subtitles)