By The Stream (2024): Review
Stub • 275 Words • Film, 2025 • 11/26/2025
⚠️ This post contains a rougher cut of my thoughts on the topic and may be updated in the future. Please forgive any mistakes or lack of polish!
hong hallmarks:
- drinking of course but also lots of eating
- it is about time in a way since he is coming back to the same university 40 years later to also make a skit
- characters in film
themes/motifs:
- a movie about becoming, starting over, self-actualization
- a lot of moon shots too / the prof and uncle were moon watching as well
camera work:
- hearing before seeing
- letting the scene breathe a little bit before any action and also lets the shot linger
- things happen off screen
- cuts are a bit jarring sometimes but then he lets the shot breathe
- nice panning shots
- there are some real pretty shots in here (like her playing with the leaf)
- camera moves or zooms sometimes but mostly stationary (maybe as not to detract from dialogue)
- never too many people in the frame at once — especially not talking
- lots of dark to light shots or just low light in general
random thoughts:
- hong sang soo is an artist’s artist
- character is an actor
- character is an artist and professor
- this work isn’t challenging but also not the most engaging/attention grabbing so i found myself watching it in little pieces throughout the day
- i feel like he knows how to stick an ending
- the camera felt so loving at the end
- It felt similar to the ending of the Novelist’s film as well
- This could just be me projecting since I know that they’re married in real life
- i wish i saw more/understood the skit better
- i love meta-theater/acting
Resources to Understand Hong’s Style: