Matter-of-factly enigmatic; the lack of resolution about whether there are, in fact, any women apart from Min-jung, and even what it would mean to answer that question, is consistent with the film's overall spirit and perspective on relationships and what makes them work.
Some of the distinctive tone comes from the choice to shoot most of the scenes statically, giving the conversations - nearly all one on one dialogues - ample space and focus, while lending the whole thing a phenomenologically observational feel; it also accentuates the instability introduced by the (at least) two intrusions of imagined encounters between Young-soo and Min-jung. The Korean-ness probably also adds another layer, including in making Min-jung (and/or doppelgangers) impossible to get a fix on. Liked this one a lot, and the director, Hong Sang-soo, seems like one to watch out for.
Some of the distinctive tone comes from the choice to shoot most of the scenes statically, giving the conversations - nearly all one on one dialogues - ample space and focus, while lending the whole thing a phenomenologically observational feel; it also accentuates the instability introduced by the (at least) two intrusions of imagined encounters between Young-soo and Min-jung. The Korean-ness probably also adds another layer, including in making Min-jung (and/or doppelgangers) impossible to get a fix on. Liked this one a lot, and the director, Hong Sang-soo, seems like one to watch out for.
