Woman on the Beach (Haebyonui yoin) Synopsis & Summary

Widely regarded as acclaimed Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo's finest cinematic accomplishment to date, Woman on the Beach concerns Kim Joong-rae (Kim Seung-woo), a mercurially tempered writer/director drafting a screenplay during his stay at an off-season oceanside resort. Joong-rae becomes acquainted with two female vacationers, each of whom unwittingly exposes undercurrents of hostility and self-destructiveness inside of him; he then uses the encounters as script fodder. The film represents Hong's exploration of the machismo, aggression, and hostility that typically lie at the core of the male id and are often exercised in masculine behavior. Woman on the Beach was screened at the 2006 New York Film Festival, at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. - Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide