By the Stream (2024)

A person I want to be

At first, I didn’t like Hong Sang-soo’s movies because I didn’t understand them, but now I enjoy them—even though I still don’t quite understand them. His films seem as if he simply invents a character and tells the actors to improvise a conversation while the camera is rolling. Yet, each of his movies gives us a chance to pause and reflect on life, while giving us the sensation that we’re sitting and chatting with the characters.

In that sense, while watching this movie, I was immersed in the conversations and the theme. At times, it felt strange to watch people do unusual things, but it also felt authentic. They are people who are free to live in their own way while also supporting each other. A few beautiful scenes by the river serve as a frame in which the director and actors create their art. Especially interesting was the dynamic between students and teachers, as each seeks inspiration from the other: the teachers from the life they have lived, and the students from the life they wish to live.

I think I owe this movie my poem about THE PERSON I WANT TO BE, so here it is:

In the echoes of my memory
I see that person,
the person I want to be,
the person I lost.

Through the eyes of faith
I see who I should be,
or who I truly am,
or maybe just the reflection of my dreams.

In the weariness of daily life
I don't know what to hope for,
or if there is more of me,
a potential that could be achieved.

So my wish is simply
to live near the river,
to feel the water,
and remind myself that I am real.

P.S. Here are all the Hong Sang-soo movies I’ve seen so far: Right Now, Wrong Then / Ha Ha Ha / Woman on the Beach / Grass / Yourself and Yours / The Novelist's Film / Oki’s Movie / Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors / The Woman Who Ran / The Day He Arrives / A Traveler's Needs / In Another Country / Woman Is the Future of Man

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