In the indie and international worlds, films about sibling reunions are common ground, but In Front of Your Face stands out with its delicate writing and superb performances by Korean veteran theater and film actress Hyeyoung Lee, Jo Yoon-hee, and Kwon Hae-hyo. This deeply elegiac and witty international film marks another satisfying small indie triumph for prolific Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo (who often releases a film per year as they play in major festivals and are celebrated by major film reviewers like Film Comment, IndieWire, and Sight and Sound). Just as they always do, In Front of Your Face should have no trouble scoring high marks throughout the year from art-house aficionados and film reviewers who will probably place this film on their best-of-the-year lists towards the end of the year.
The film’s players show an impressive naturalism that works in their favor. Both are effortless in carrying out their dialogue in unbroken long takes and carrying their onscreen chemistry to establish the history for the estranged sisters Sang ok (Hyeyoung Lee) and Jeong ok (Jo Yoon-hee) and Sang-Soo’s artful use of his exquisite staging and use of long takes merge with affecting characterization all work as it becomes a deeply existential work about the brevity of life. The duo’s chemistry echoes that of the filmmaker’s previous films that often explore themes of desolation and human connection, but the biggest surprise comes how Yoon-he isn’t a seasoned actress like Hyeyoung Lee is. In fact, it’s her first role and she carries it through. And you would think Jo Yoon-he would be updated by Lee, but she holds her scenes and helps bring dramatic momentum to Hyeyoung Lee’s performance.
The pic begins as we see Sangok (Lee) returning to Seoul from the U.S., and we open with a voiceover as we hear her explain how she is going to live in the moment and is going to embrace what’s in front of her–hence the title. This rumination eventually becomes a catharsis in how we should live each day and enjoy each moment because, as Persian poet Omar Khayyam once said, those moments are our life. Contemplative and observational, Sang-soo looks frail on the couch, lying down almost as if she’s in a coffin. There’s something that feels cryptic about the composition, almost like she is a vampire resting in a coffin. She arises, and we see the skyline of Seoul in the background.
Sangok ends up meeting Jeongok (Yun-hee) at an outdoor restaurant with Seol’s mountains in the background. Both sisters catch up, pontificate on their livelihoods, and discuss their financial situation. Sangok basically explains in the United States how, people don’t have too much money and how they live paycheck to paycheck. Jeangok attempts to persuade her sister to save up more money and move back to Seoul. Sanok and Jeongok end up going for a walk together after their tea together at the cafe, in which two passersby end up taking a picture of Sangok and Joengok together, only for one of them to instantly recognize Sangok from a TV show, which leads to her being encouraged to get back into acting again. It’s a very beautiful and tender moment because you can sense Sangok is flattered by the encouragement. You can sense she has been displaced by acting, yet Sang-soo keeps these subtle details away from the audience.
Hong Sang-Soo has always been a very verbose actor, but with his accomplished actors, he’s able to stage scenes that never feel theatrical or hermetic. The way the actors exchange with one another combined with the vivid dialogue offers so much insight that you feel like you’re eavesdropping. As their conversations escalate in just a few scenes, you already feel like you have a strong grasp of who Sang-soos’s characters really are. As the film is a two-hander between the sisters, we see a few other characters drift in and out, including Joenok’s son, who quickly stops in to greet his Aunt Sangok, whom he hasn’t seen in a while, with a gift that’s a mini-wallet that contains $100 inside. Another character is introduced, an acclaimed film director named Jae won played by Sang-Soo regular Kwon Hae-hyo. Joenok ends up excusing herself as Sangok catches up with Kwon over a Chinese dish and Chinese alcohol at a secluded restaurant that appears to leave it open just for him as a guest.
More details emerge as Sangok hasn’t acted in years, who basically gave up that and just worked retail while she was in the states. Jae won, an acclaimed director in the narrative, is in between projects and drafts of screenplays, and Jae won ends up confessing how much of an admirer he is of her work, especially in a particular film where he recalls her expression and the image of her being driven in a car. In one long take that never feels dull or boring, both Hae-hyo and Hyeyoung Lee are absolutely terrific in their scenes together. It’s a very rich scene where the two actors exchange sharp debates and deep discussions on art, cinema, food, drinks, love, and life.
Each of the dialogue-driven scenes in In Front of Your Face flows smoothly and seamlessly, sounding natural yet always observational as the characters pause and reflect. The conversations in the film effortlessly plant the audience into the character’s world, and it never feels endless or dull. A conversation in which Jaewon is liquified from constant shots, ends up suggesting he really wants to collaborate with Sangok in his next project, but it could take a few years to launch. Under certain circumstances, Sangok is eager to shoot soon, which eventually leads to Jaewon admitting that he is very attracted to Sangok, who you can sense is flattered by this openness. The scene ensues with both of them smoking a cigarette together under an umbrella outside in the rain. That’s just one of the many hallucinatory images you will find in Sang-soo’s vision.
Hong Sang-soo once again places the human condition under a cinematic microscope in In Front of Your Face, adding sharp character depth and a heartbreaking final act involving a voice-recording that Sangok just shakes off in a very powerful way. How can one dwell on something that was most likely made under the influence of a cloud of judgment? Why let things outside of your control bottle you up inside when life is already so precious and short as it is? Is art what saves our legacy before slipping into mortality? These are many of the prominent ideas and questions you will find in In Front of Your Face, which becomes another absorbing study of human interaction crossed with self-realization.
In Front of Your Face will be screening Saturday, May 21st and Sunday May, 22nd at the Detroit Film Theater inside the Detroit Institute of Arts. Please visit In Front of Your Face | Detroit Institute of Arts Museum (dia.org) for ticket and showtimes.
DIA here I come with the hubby!!