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Hotel by the River

Gangbyub Hotel

2018

Hong Sang-soo

Ki Joo-bong, Kim Min-hee, Kwon Hae-hyo, Song Seon-mi, Yoo Joon-sang

6.4

1,005

Drama An old poet staying for free in a riverside hotel summons his two estranged sons. This is because he feels, for no apparent reason, like he is going to die. After being betrayed by the man she was living with, a young woman gets a room at the hotel. Seeking support, she summons a friend. The poet spends a day with his sons and tries to wrap up the loose ends in his life. But it’s not so easy to do that in one day. But then he sees the ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Boyd van Hoeij The Hollywood Reporter	"[The dialogue] is by turns witty, self-referential, poetic and repetitive (...) One has to wonder how much 'Hotel by the River' really needed two strands to begin with"	NEU
United States	Ben Kenigsberg The New York Times	"[It is] one of Hong’s most unexpectedly poignant works, self-reflexive in a way that feels searching rather than rote (...) It’s a film for fans of Hong, Rohmer and maybe Ingmar Bergman."	POS
United States	David Ehrlich IndieWire	"Hong continues to find playful new ways of organizing his obsessions (...) This poignantly contemplative film is so digestible because its director wants everyone to hear his confession"	POS
United States	Guy Lodge Variety	"Even by his oeuvre’s laid-back standards, however, this appealing slice of monochrome melancholy is more ambivalent than most"	NEU
United States	Scout Tafoya rogerebert.com	"It's baggy, overgrown, and it frequently feels as though his actors are improvising through scenes of brutal awkwardness (...) I don't always get to see something this special"	POS
United States	Leonardo Goi The Film Stage	"The mockery is mixed with a tragic aftertaste that adds to the drama an unsettling and refreshing aura."	POS
United States	Chuck Bowen Slant	"[The director informs] the film with a ghostly pallor that’s somewhat new to his work (...) Some of the film’s greatest scenes are hauntingly inexplicable (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"	POS
United Kingdom	Allan Hunter Screendaily	"The forlorn feel of 'Hotel By The River' becomes increasingly endearing, and there is a strain of bone dry humour that lightens the mood."	POS

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