THE DAY HE ARRIVES World Cinema

With his newest film, AFI FEST veteran Hong Sang-soo returns to the crisp, black-and-white vision of Seoul in winter lost seen in his Nouvelle Vague-like VIRGIN STRIPPED BARE BY HER BACHELORS (2000) Evoking the earlier film’s compelling mix of romantic al lure and cool detachment, Hong’s ability to capture ordinary characters doing ordinary things – wandering, drinking, conversing – within a fascinating narrative structure of repetitions and parallels has never been stronger. Filmmaker Sungioon (Yu Jun-sang) arrives lo visit an old friend in Seoul and encounters various acquaintances and strangers . Over the next several days , the same rendezvous occur with different results – is he living a repetitive life or re-living the some day again and again? Like the intoxicated reveries of his aim less characters , Hong ‘s storytelling transforms casual everyday occurrences into a mysterious meditation on human behavior.