Get the latest gossip
‘Spring Night’ Review: Kang Mi-ja Returns With a Compact Co-Dependency Drama
In 'Spring Night,' an oblique adaptation of Kwon Yeo-sun’s novel, arthritis and alcoholism become symbolic — for better or worse.
A woman whose mysterious agony proves all-consuming, she pounds back shots of soju amidst a handful of unconscious guests before Su-hwan — the only other person left awake — gives her a gentle piggyback ride home as she regales him sweet, poetic whispers in exchange. At times, the straightforward two-shot compositions of “Spring Night” resemble the soothing setups of a Hong Sang-soo film (a director whose characters also tend to reveal anxieties over libations), but where the two artists diverge is key. Kang seldom imbues her scenes with a calming ambience or atmosphere — a sense of buzz, of metropolitical life, or of nature, to fill the space — leading to an eeriness that Yeong-gyeong feels compelled to counteract with words.
Or read this on Variety