THE DAY SHE RETURNS Luminaries

This film screens with NOWHERE TO LAY MY EYES as a double feature of Hong Sang-soo’s latest works.

Swapping soju for German beer, Hong Sang-soo’s 34th feature is a playful triptych, finding profundity in repetition and revealing truths about identity, memory and privacy. Jeong-su (Song Seon-mi) is a middle-aged actress in the midst of a public divorce, returning to the screen after a yearslong self-imposed break. Sitting down at a German café for a series of interviews about her new indie film, the actress refuses to engage about her breakup but is more than happy to offer her thoughts on cinema and provide affirmations of self-love over the course of an afternoon and a few draft beers. Shot in simple black and white with each interview unfolding over a single take, the small differences and detours in conversation illuminate the true nature of performance in Hong’s latest minimal masterstroke. –Josh Gardner