Woman Is the Future of Man

Two old college friends—Hunjoon (Kim Taewoo), a budding filmmaker, and Munho (Yoo Jitae), a university arts professor—meet after a long separation and dine at a Seoul noodle shop in Woman Is the Future of Man, director Sang-soo Hong's acutely perceptive and mournful character study. When Munho briefly leaves the table, Hunjoon stares out the window at an attractive stranger across the street—a woman apparently waiting for someone—and the sight stirs Hunjoon's memories (presented in flashback) of his shameful relationship years back with a lovely painter named Sunhwa (Sung Hyunah). When Munho returns, and Hunjoon steps away, Munho sees the same unknown woman, which spurs him to recall his own graceless, self-centered relationship with Sunhwa after Hunjoon ditched her. As the evening wears on, Munho and Hunjoo proceed to get drunk and then go see Sunhwa for the first time in years. One might expect a night of verbose confrontation and reconciliation, but the filmmaker is more interested in exploring the characters' painfully mismatched needs. Hong (Turning Gate) has been compared favorably to Michelangelo Antonioni (The Passenger), whose films deal with characters chasing mysteries for a fleeting sense of meaning; in Hong's film, however, people are trapped by the meanings they've attached to ghosts and regrets. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a video introduction by filmmaker Martin Scorsese, a 38-minute 'making-of' documentary, interviews with costars Sung Hyunah (19 min), Kim Taewoo (8 min.), and Yoo Jitae (6 min.), a photo gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an excellent film.] (T. Keogh) [Blu-ray Review—July 10, 2018—Arrow, 178 min., in Korean w/English subtitles, not rated, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making their Blu-ray debut, 2004’s Woman is the Future of Man and 2005’s Tale of Cinema both feature nice transfers with DTS-HD 5.1 audio. Extras for Woman Is the Future of Man include an introduction by critic Tony Rayns (42 min.), a 'making-of' featurette (39 min.), interviews with costars Sung Hyunah (19 min.), Kim Taewoo (8 min.), and Yoo Jitae (6 min.), an introduction by filmmaker Martin Scorsese (3 min.), and a stills gallery. Extras for Tale of Cinema include an introduction by Rayns (21 min.), interviews with costars Kim Sangkyung (14 min.), Uhm Jiwon (12 min.), and Lee Kiwoo (7 min.), as well as a stills gallery, and a booklet with an essay by film writer Michael Sicinski. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this fine double-feature.]