Woman on the Beach

Made just months after South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo’s complete retrospective at the Wexner Center in February 2006, Woman on the Beach is a surprising, sly romantic comedy of human foibles.

The story begins with a love triangle at a beach resort where a film director is trying to cure his writer’s block. After heading back to town because his good friend’s girlfriend has fallen for him, the director then returns to the resort alone a few days later. This time, the fickle director meets a woman who reminds him of the woman from whom he just tried to flee, and that’s when the complications start. Hong’s trademark uses of narrative rhymes and variations add up to a uniquely ironic and affecting experience. (127 mins., 35mm)

Update: Ohio State University and the Wexner Center are experiencing periodic phone outages during the weekend of June 14. The center is still open and all programming is taking place.