Something more than fluent talking

In one scene, Isabelle Huppert drinks soju straight out of a bottle and an excitable lifeguard tries to seduce her in broken english. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie is not quite as engaging.

Funny: for its inside-out awkwardness plus oddness.

Sang-soo Hong's films are always minimalist in style. And it is often this director's requirement of his key actors to become drunk for many scenes. The intermixing of these two variables with the obvious influence of La Nouvelle Vague that create surprising examinations of the human condition. When Hong had the opportunity to work with Isabelle Huppert, it created a great deal of excitement within the International Film scene. The result of this collaboration are not what was expected. Huppert was unwilling to become drunk. Hong has never stated if this played any significant role in the film's tone or outcome, but one cannot help but notice a distinct shift in tone. I think many of us expected to see Hong take advantage of a slightly improved budget and the promise of easier access to his film's distribution to his favorite themes around friendship, romantic, sexual and existential quandaries of the human condition to a different and perhaps darker level. Instead, Hong Sang-soo has crafted a whimsically surreal comedic film that seems to be more connected to the mid-1950's David Lean than Eric Rohmer. This does not mean that Hong has turned his back on the themes that seem to obsess his work. But In Another Country is about as close to romantic comedy as we're likely to ever see from Hong again. The film's primary concern is related to the identity of a foreign visitor's identity in relation to the locals of a culture unknown to her. Hong presents Huppert as 3 different characters in 3 various vignettes. It is within these three identities that we see a number of situations exploring how "innocent" and "kind" attempts at interaction/connecting are often misunderstood or misinterpreted. Huppert delivers an equally "light" and often sweetly charming performances of three different characters -- each of who share two shared challenges: Communication and Making A Potentially Life-Changing Decisions in the later part of her life. While all the situations feel real, Hong always manages to maintain a surreal vibe. Situations constructed around opposing ideas around marriage, adultery, age, sexuality, romance, friendship and human connection are present but explored in a surprisingly light comedic kind of way. This is the first time we've seen Hong Sang-soo offer a clearly articulated idea: Whether we like it or not, our lives fulfillment are often condensed to something as minor as which direction we should take when we are most confused. At the time I first saw this movie, I felt very mixed about it. When I watched it again on DVD, I found it to be an interesting but fun glimpse at life. Never totally simplistic or "cheesy" --- but never challenging enough to cause debate. In Another Country is simply a smart little movie with just enough substance to make it memorable in an unexpected way. The meeting of two highly regarded film artists may not have resulted in the sort of result we expected, but it did result in something we do not expect to see from either of them.

The Korean version of Winter sleep. More real, more true to itself.

Nicely shot, but the story is somewhat disjointed and not overly appealing with the plot centring about romance and culture clash. It's mildly humorous but missable.

Unwittingly it is my very first film from the universally acclaimed South Korean auteur Sang-soo Hong, by virtue of Isabelle Huppert. But out of my heart, the film is frustratingly bland and ineptly flippant. All the setting is exclusively in a remote beach and a family hotel near sea side. After an informal conversation between a pair of mother and daughter, Park Soo (Yoon) and Wonju (Jeong), about their familial dispute. Then Wonju starts to write three short stories for her script, each centres a French woman named Anne (Huppert), respectively as a female director, an adulteress and a divorcée (conveniently dressed in blue, red and green), and Wonju becomes the hotelier. continue reading my review on my blog: http://lasttimeisawdotcom.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/inanothercountry2012/

Tres historia en tres mundos relativamente paralelos son los que cuenta Sang-soo Hong a través de su personaje...... el avance resulta interesante gracias a las actuaciones pero redunda en una pérdida de mano del director, por varios pasajes se ve perdido.

Low budget, low story, low esteem and terribly acted and directed but yet after all that, I found that I wanted to see the ending to what was confusing me to what this movie was all about. Not to say I would see this movie again but I am still kept pondering after some time as to what this movie was about. I guess in one word, Memorable.

Three stories, three women, two male directors and one dude in an orange shirt. Pretty raw like most of Sang-soo Hong's shit, but not quite as good. By the time the third story kicks in you might feel like bonking. I almost did. And that's OK. If you're into these types of films then you'll be happy for having started it.

delightful, refreshing

Who would have ever imagined that the collaboration between Sang-soo Hong and Isabelle Huppert would result in such a delightfully light but insightful film. While there is much said here, this movie is intended to entertain as much as to make you think. Surrealistic and fanciful, In Another Country is both comical and melancholy. Huppert gives a wonderfully realistic and charming performance. The same for the rest of the cast. This is a long way from WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN, but it is hard to imagine any fan of Korean or French cinema not loving this movie. Spot-On!

This film's simplicity and awkwardness reminded me of being a foreigner in South Korea. It's not easy living abroad, especially for the women portrayed in these situations, and it's not easy for locals either. This film does a good job of making light of these scenarios without rebuking the profundity of them.

wow- really bad - was this made by a high school class in one take??

This film, while showing promise and alluding to something more than appears on the surface, was quite monotonous to me. I have to say that the acting and direction seemed at times quite amateur.It left me with a feeling of dissatisfaction. As someone said the director is interested in a minimalistic approach to conveying a story and I imagine that he succeeded. It felt more like a rough sketch than a film. In fact it felt to me like 3 short films. Nevertheless, there was something intangible in the characters, something allusive. Again the minimalism lends itself to an ambiguity. Personally, I like ambiguity to a degree but this film was more like a line drawing than a painting. The opening in fact sets the tone for the film.

Hong Sang-Su and Isabelle Huppert? You definitely can't go wrong. As with his previous cheeky features, Hong story-within-a-story explores the possibilities of love and its comedic consequences. This time with Huppert as a fish out of the water.

http://www.clevelandmovieblog.com/2013/03/in-another-country-march-12th-at.html

Anne (Isabelle Huppert) é uma mulher francesa que está em uma pequena cidade na Coreia do Sul, onde visita um amigo que está prestes a ter um filho e trabalha como diretor. Lá, ao visitar uma praia, conhece um empolgado salva-vidas (Yu Jun-sang), que tenta conquistá-la. Pouco tempo depois outras duas mulheres francesas, ambas chamadas Anne, chegam ao local e lidam com os mesmos personagens.

The day that Hong Sang Soo has conquered my heart!!!

Color me a HONG SANG-SOO fan. This was wonderful.