Haebyonui Yoin (Woman on the Beach) poster & wallpaper
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Seung-woo Kim, Tae-woo Kim, Hyun-jung Go, Song Sun-mi, Ban-ya Choi ... see more see more... , Chan Jung , Chang-wook Won , Hyun-joung Ko , Joong-rae Kim , Ki-woo Lee , Moon-sook Kim , Seon-mi Song , Sun-hee Choi

Widely regarded as acclaimed Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo's finest cinematic accomplishment to date, Woman on the Beach concerns Kim Joong-rae (Kim Seung-woo), a mercurially tempered writer/director... read more read more... drafting a screenplay during his stay at an off-season oceanside resort. Joong-rae becomes acquainted with two female vacationers, each of whom unwittingly exposes undercurrents of hostility and self-destructiveness inside of him; he then uses the encounters as script fodder. The film represents Hong's exploration of the machismo, aggression, and hostility that typically lie at the core of the male id and are often exercised in masculine behavior. Woman on the Beach was screened at the 2006 New York Film Festival, at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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61% liked it

1,090 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

26 critics

Unrated, 2 hr. 8 min.

Directed by: Sang-soo Hong

Release Date: January 9, 2008

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DVD Release Date: December 30, 2008

Stats: 69 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (69)

  • kiriyamakazou
    October 24, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    Hong continues to dissect relationships between men and women, using his unique voice. His strength comes in balancing the arguments between the characters. Woman on the Beach is far more talkative than his earlier, Virgin Stripped Bare By Her Bachelor's. Here, the verbal philoso... read morephical musings of the main characters take center stage. Like his previous work, this is a thoughtful film. Thus, it can take a while to get going.
  • gator681
    January 15, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]In "Woman on the Beach," Moon-sook(Ko Hyun-Joung) is not Chang-wook's(Kim Tae-Woo) boyfriend, no matter what he may think. But regardless of the circumstances, she accompanies him as he goes to an off-season resort town with Joong-rae(Kim Seung-Woo), a film ... read moredirector who is hoping to finish the script he is working on. But nothing comes easy. Oh well. At least, Moon-sook is interested in him...[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]"Woman on the Beach" is a moderately engaging movie about miscommunication and relationships. The deliberate pace and long takes(but not the accompanying zooms and close-ups) work in the movie's favor but it is simply too long for something as inconsequential as this. Instead of letting the action unfold naturally, writer-director Hong Sang-soo takes a rather clumsy and forced approach to the material. And the last bit of symbolism is too obvious.[/font]
  • alanjayh
    April 2, 2010
    alanjayh
    I enjoyed this work by Hong, one of his more accessible works. Again about man-woman relationships and this one is entertaining, with some philosophical sidebars on fixations, obsessions. It is quite watcheable and easy to understand, moreso than "woman is the future of man". ... read moreEnjoy..
  • gregrmurphy
    April 21, 2008
    gregrmurphy
    Normally elements like a blocked-up screenwriter and hot-cold-hot relationship issues would raise some red flags, but hey, it's Korean. Look out Bujalski, you got some foreign competition.
  • columbiatch
    December 9, 2007
    columbiatch
    My first Hong, not bad. Well constructed romantic triangles that mirrors each other. Hong has a nice eye for composition, though his zoom-in's are not something I'm used to. He seems to borrow Antonioni's use of narrative digressions. Also I can't help but think of 8 1/2 when I'm... read more watching this and comparing the male protagonists, it's just too similar. The character shift at the end is somewhat strange.

View All Haebyonui Yoin (Woman on the Beach) Reviews

Critic Reviews

G. Allen Johnson
June 20, 2008
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

Woman on the Beach, perhaps [director Hong's] most accessible film (and often a funny one, too), is a good introduction, even if it is not a masterpiece. Here's hoping more of his films see the light ... Full Review

J. R. Jones
April 25, 2008
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Reminiscent of Godard's Contempt, but writer-director Hong Sang-soo--South Korea's foremost chronicler of romantic maneuvering--is more aptly compared to Eric Rohmer for his subtle comedy. Full Review

Jonathan F. Richards
April 13, 2008
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com

You won't need a degree in Korean cinema to anticipate that complications will arise. Full Review

Jack Mathews
January 11, 2008
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News

The scenery's great and the performances adequate, but wake me when it's over. Full Review

Jan Stuart
January 10, 2008
Jan Stuart, Newsday

An elegant serving of comic Seoul food from director Hong Sang-soo. Full Review

Andrew O'Hehir
January 10, 2008
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

A marvelously acted and memorably atmospheric picture. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
January 9, 2008
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

The pace is leisurely, the humor sly, and the cast superb. All in all, a civilized way to spend two hours. Full Review

Manohla Dargis
January 9, 2008
Manohla Dargis, New York Times

Woman on the Beach is a bittersweet accounting of the geography of desire.

J. Hoberman
January 8, 2008
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

[An] immaculately constructed movie. Full Review

Richard James Havis
October 11, 2006
Richard James Havis, Hollywood Reporter

This film lacks Hong Sang-soo's usual insight and narrative innovation.

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