A Traveler’s Needs
7:00pm
6:30pm Doors
$7 Member
dir. Hong Sangsoo, 90 min.
In English, French and Korean with English subtitles
Iris, a woman abroad in Seoul, teaches French and English in an idiosyncratic fashion that allows her to pursue her own philosophical and personal interests. Through four encounters over a single day, Iris probes students and strangers for information about poetry, their own histories, and their relationship to their egos.
A comedy of improbable encounters and unlikely language lessons, A Traveler’s Needs marks the third collaboration between Hong and famed French actress Isabelle Huppert (following 2012’s In Another Country and 2017’s Claire’s Camera). This time Huppert plays Iris, a woman who finds herself adrift in Seoul and without any means to make ends meet, turns to teaching French via a très peculiar method. Through a series of encounters, as we grow to know more about Iris and her situation, the mysteries of her circumstances only deepen.
A charming troupe of Hong regulars complete the cast, including Lee Hyeyoung as one of Huppert’s students and Kwon Haehyo as her flirty husband. A film about meaning and connection and the comfort of makgeolli, A Traveler’s Needs offers a surprising take on inter-continental rendezvous and continues one of the most unique actor-director collaborations in contemporary cinema.
Winner – Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize – Berlin Film Festival
