CIFF 2022 | ‘The Novelist’s Film’ review: A soft-spoken ode to the creative spirit
Hong Sang-soo claims yet another Silver Bear for a movie with no shortage of mirth or merriment.
Kim Min-hee, Lee Hye-yeong and Ha Seong-guk in “The Novelist’s Film.” Photo courtesy of Jeonwonsa Film Co.
In one of the opening scenes of Hong Sang-soo’s Silver Bear winner at 2022’s Berlinale, we are treated to a quietly joyful sequence in which our titular novelist Jun-hee (a dignified, confident Lee Hye-young) gleefully learns to recite poetry in sign language. Her movements are choppy as she learns, but it’s plain to see that she is all but giving herself over to the simple pleasures of speaking without words. She is being taught sign language by a woman she has just met in a chance meeting at a small-town bookstore; the first in many other serendipitous encounters that will result in Jun-hee attempting to create a film like no other — a novelist’s film. So begins a tale that will be familiar, but not overly so, to artists and art-lovers alike; a take about finding inspiration and happiness in the smallest of things.
“A storyteller needs a story,” is a line that gets bandied about between characters at a raucous — but not too raucous, this is Hong Sang-soo we’re talking about — drinking session. Quite the tongue-in-cheek move, given that “The Novelist’s Film” has no real story to it. Granted, it has a purpose; one which it fulfills wonderfully, but there is no real rhyme or reason for what we are presented onscreen, beyond stressing the spontaneous nature of life itself — which is a message that can get fairly old, fairly fast.
More often than not, it is this freeform spontaneity that causes the film to stumble over itself, too. Conversations meander for a little too long — at times, the film doesn’t feel like much more than watching your parents and their friends converse in that pleasantly inoffensive but insubstantial manner that the middle-aged often have about them. If one wanted to read “The Novelist’s Film” uncharitably, one could also say that it occasionally comes across as a circle-jerk echo chamber of artists complimenting each other. Rarely is there ever a moment of criticism, constructive or otherwise, from any of the characters; nary a mean word is heard. But then again, this is a Hong Sang-soo film, and one intending to watch a black-and-white film with more emotional drama between friends might opt for “The Party” instead.
Despite the scandal-averse Korean public having mostly disowned Kim Min-hee, her presence alongside Lee Hye-young’s sometimes overly calculated restraint feels like a breath of fresh air. Her role as amiable, pure-hearted actress Kil-soo serves as the perfect foil for Jun-hee, whose good cheer is usually tempered by world-weariness and creative disillusionment. Characters aside, it’s hard to truly judge the performances of any of the cast, seeing as the film moves along so whimsically and effortlessly that it feels like it was dreamed up and wrapped in the same day. Call it what you want, or call it a point in favour of authenticity in acting — films like this find their beauty in the eyes of its beholder.
Those well-versed in Hong’s filmography will notice that the cast of “The Novelist’s Film” consists almost entirely of his frequent collaborators. While, of course, the ability to have a roster of actor acquaintances you can call upon at will is a privilege reserved for long-established directors, the fact of the matter nonetheless makes Hong’s work seem that much more genuine; like a movie made by friends, for friends, that doesn’t exclude outsiders with sly side-winks and inside jokes. In fact, these friendships are fairly relatable, especially, but not limited to, any breed of creative out there. The warm excitement that grows between friends on the same wavelength about something, whether it be a hobby in common or the germination of a shared idea, is a wonderful sensation; one that should be celebrated. You don’t need to be Hong Sang-soo to make a film about it … but you’d also be hard-pressed to make one with the same earnestness and optimism as “The Novelist’s Film.”
“The Novelist’s Film” plays at the 58th Chicago International Film Festival on October 14 and 21, 2022, and opens in select U.S. theaters on October 28, 2022.
