Hong Sang-soo unveils new film at Berlin int'l film festival

Director and screenwriter Hong Sang-soo attends the press conference for the film "Domangchin Yeoja" (The Woman Who Ran) screened in competition on Tuesday at the 70th Berlinale film festival in Germany. / AFP-Yonhap

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Director Hong Sang-soo's new film “The Woman Who Ran” was screened at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in Germany, Tuesday (local time).

It is the seventh movie the filmmaker has worked on alongside his partner, actress Kim Min-hee.

“The Woman Who Ran” revolves around the encounters of a married woman (played by Kim) and her three friends, while her husband is out of town on a business trip.

Hong's new movie was invited to the film festival's competition section.

The director said he wanted to tell the stories of women trying to break out of their daily routines and explore a life very different from their own.

“One character flees because she doesn't want to be arrested. The other female character is not satisfied with her life, so she wants to run away,” he said during a news conference in Berlin on Tuesday.

Hong, 60, made the remarks when asked about what he hoped to express through the film.

The director's responses were strategically ambiguous, noting that he himself had no clear-cut answers as to why and under what circumstances his characters try to escape.

“I didn't intend to define the specific reasons behind their decisions to run away. I simply didn't want to make a movie like that. In fact, I finished shooting the film before I figured (the characters) out,” he said.

The filmmaker said such ambiguity is a critical element in his cinematic style, and that he tried to avoid Korean movie 'cliches'.

“I rarely focus on topics that are typical in Korean society. For me, this is very important, because otherwise it's difficult to pull off a good film,” he said. “I am someone who tries not to be intentional. Rather, I keep all options open, and take one that springs to my mind.”

Actress Kim Min-hee attends the press conference for the film "Domangchin Yeoja" (The Woman Who Ran) screened in competition on Tuesday at the 70th Berlinale film festival in Berlin. / AFP-Yonhap

Actress Kim showed her unchanging trust in her director-partner.

“I believe I can play a character given to me well, as long as I stay on script. I read the script thoroughly and reflect my interpretation of the character in my acting. If I misinterpret (Director Hong's) intentions in the script, he helps me to stay on track,” she said.

Hong and Kim have made repeated headlines in Korea over the past few years for engaging in what is technically an extramarital affair.

In November 2016, Hong filed for a divorce from his wife of over 30 years after his affair with actress Kim Min-hee was made public. His wife, however, rejected the request, and the Seoul Family Court denied Hong's divorce suit last year. In Korea, only the injured party in a case of adultery can legally file for divorce.

Hong did not appeal to a higher court and is thus still legally married to his wife, even though the two have been separated for several years.