Credits

Regie

HONG Sang-soo

Cast

Isabelle HUPPERT, LEE Hyeyoung, KWON Haehyo

Genre

drama

Speelduur

90 minutes

Land

South-Korea

Taal

Korean, French, English

Ondertiteling

English

Storyline

Nobody knows where the woman comes from. She is sitting on a park bench and diligently playing a child’s recorder. She says she is from France. With no money or means of supporting herself, she is advised to teach French. This is how she comes to have two Korean women as her pupils. She likes to walk barefoot and lie down on rocks, and when she is up for it, she tries to see each instant in a non-verbal way and live life as rationally as she can. But things remain as hard as ever. She relies on the Korean alcoholic drink of makgeolli to provide a bit of comfort every day.

A Traveler’s Needs marks the third collaboration between the Korean auteur of everyday life HONG Sang-soo and the inimitable Isabelle HUPPERT, following In Another Country (2012) and Claire’s Camera (2017). This awkwardly funny story, which won Hong his fifth Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlinale, once again demonstrates Huppert’s comedic talent and Hong’s ability to transcend cultures beyond