Nowhere to Lay My Eyes

From Viennale

Winner of two deserved prizes at the Locarno Film Festival, the 35th film by Hong Sangsoo (Best Director) sees the return of his muse Kim Minhee (Best Performance) in her first role since giving birth to their child; unsurprisingly, motherhood is on Hong’s mind. It’s also no surprise that Kim is flawless as a filmmaker named Sanghee, though one might be bemused that she makes experimental shorts and uploads them to YouTube. She has ventured with her brother from Seoul to a tempestuous Jeju Island to visit their estranged mother, whose fortunes have peaked with a successful restaurant and a new husband, an observational documentary filmmaker (Hong regular Kwon Haehyo). Kwon is introduced with a delicious pratfall, and the meek men are predictably overwhelmed by the strong and opinionated women, with the mother-daughter interaction adding an extra layer of complication. Sanghee’s viewpoint is privileged, and Hong even gives her a voiceover, but it’s only a matter of time until the next shift in Hong’s filmography—Kim as mother. Of special note is Hong’s at times comical approach to sound recording, which has the effect of ramming the Jeju winds down one’s ear canals. Indeed, few contemporary filmmakers have such regard for the weather. (Mark Peranson)