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‘Winter in Sokcho’ Review: A Small Town Woman Fixates on a Visiting Artist in Koya Kamura’s Thoughtful Adaptation


Based on Elisa Shua Dusapin's novel, 'Winter in Sokcho' follow a small-town woman who finds herself fixated on a visiting artist.

Indeed, the more Soo-Ha researches Yan’s work (striking inked illustrations she admits she loves due to their melancholy sensibility) and plays begrudging local guide (even driving him to the DMZ), the more she’s entranced by his artistry and his inscrutable demeanor. Fascinated by the thorny, murky ways in which we connect with strangers under unusual circumstances, Kamura and co-writer Stéphane Ly-Cuong mine Yan and Soo-Ha’s twisty dynamic for all it’s worth. Some of its most affecting shots, in fact, depend on it: two hands on opposite sides of the table tackling food with chopsticks; a face reflected in a steamed mirror; darkened watercolor animations that heighten Soo-Ha’s sensory experience.

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