WALK UP

Director: Hong Sangsoo. 97 minutes. South Korea. 2022. Languages: Korean. B&W

Official Selections: Toronto International Film Festival; San Sebastian International Film Festival; New York Film Festival 2022

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Walk Up is the 28th feature from prolific South Korean favourite Hong Sangsoo. This is a delightful, humorous, existential drama, where time circles elliptically and the story unfolds up and down, from top to bottom in the floors of a Seoul apartment building. Byungsoo (Kwon Haehyo) a well-known filmmaker visits old friend Ms Kim (Lee Hyeyoung), with his daughter Jeongsu (Park Miso) an aspiring interior designer in tow. Ms. Kim is an interior designer and owner of a beautiful four-storey building that houses her office, a restaurant and cooking studio, and two apartments. After much talk and drinks, she offers to rent out an apartment to Byungsoo. Always witty and playful, Hong (re)visits themes close to his heart – encounters, love, friendship, art, career, cinema, family and home renovations, all set around casual philosophical table chats and lots of wine and soju.

(Marie-Pierre Richard)