The Power of Kangwon Province
Kangweondoeui Him
credits:
Director: Hong Sang-sooWriter: Hong Sang-soo
Cast: Paek Jong-hak, Oh Yoon-hong, Kim Yoo-suk, Jeon Jae-heon
South Korea 1998 | 109 mins | 35mm | Korean w/E.S.
Receiving Special Mention at the 1998 Cannes International Film Festival, THE POWER OF KANGWON PROVINCE follows two lovers separated by something greater than space and time. Ji-sook is a college student on holiday with friends in Kangwon Province, but her “escape” to the mountains reveals the very destructive relationship patterns she hoped to overcome. Sang-kwon is a married college professor on his own trip to Kangwon Province, where he reveals that he too has unhealthy habits when it comes to relationships.
Although Hong Sang-soo’s deeply flawed characters might not present enough self-awareness to change their ways, the paths not taken in THE POWER OF KANGWON PROVINCE are clear, and stay with audiences as they walk and talk on the way home from the theatre.
—Adam Hartzell
