"What Does That Nature Say to You": Don't Meet the Parents

"Few filmmakers treat stories as their fundamental unit of creation. One who does so is the Korean filmmaker Hong Sangsoo, whose narrative imagination is so fertile that "prolific" might as well be part of his name. He has developed a system of low-budget and D.I.Y. production that enables him to make many movies quickly."

"His casual observations are instantly crystallized not in the form of images or characters, moods or even ideas, but as full-blown dramas. His latest release, "What Does That Nature Say to You," which screened in last year's New York Film Festival and is opening February 27th, is the fictional synthesis of a car, a house, and a bottle."

"It's one of the few movies of his that, were it transcribed and handed over to a mediocre director, would still bear the same spark of life, even if it wouldn't similarly catch emotional and aesthetic fire. The resulting encounters with her family are the catalysts of revelations that prove consequential for the couple and the family alike."

Hong Sangsoo is a Korean filmmaker who treats stories as his fundamental creative unit, distinguishing himself from peers who merely call themselves storytellers. His efficient low-budget and DIY production system enables rapid filmmaking, yielding twenty-five features since 2010. His latest film, "What Does That Nature Say to You," exemplifies his approach: a narrative synthesized from minimal elements—a car, house, and bottle—that possesses such narrative strength it would retain its spark even under different direction. The film follows a young couple visiting the girlfriend's rural family home, where encounters with her parents and sister catalyze significant revelations affecting both the couple and family dynamics.

Read at The New Yorker