HAHAHA

Korea, 2010, 116 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Hong Sang Soo.

A kind of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset (and during the day as well). Two young Korean men (and this is very much a male film from the director of Woman is the Future of Man – this time they are the present of man as well) meet and talk over their experiences during the summer. One plans to migrate to Canada, the other is a depressive character. Their various conversations are introduced in stills of them talking – and many of the conversations conclude with a toast and they have another drink. While there is a lot of talk in the film, there is a fair amount of alcohol drunk as well. By the men and by the women.

The depressed friend is married but has a girlfriend whom he says he is in love with and wants to marry. She is rather patient with him in his talk and in his behaviour. The intended migrant takes a shine to a museum guide who sounds rather profound as she does her spiel but is not so bright in real life. She has had a number of boyfriends but seems to take a shine to her new suitor. There is also a poet who is friendly with a young woman who works part time in a restaurant owned by the migrant’s mother. And some time is spent there.

If you would like to listen to young Koreans and their interests in life, their relationships and their hopes, then you have almost two hours to do so. Not an unpleasant experience – but they still are very young.

1. The director and his interest in relationships between men and women, observation and insight?

2. The title, light, the reference in Korean to summer? The season of summer in the provincial town?

3. The Korean background, the town, restaurants and apartments, museums and hotels, the river?

4. The conversation with the two young men, the still photos, the end of each sequence with their making a toast and having a drink?

5. Their talk, the stories, verbal and visual?

6. The two men: the one depressed, his experiences, the contrast with the other wanting to migrate to Canada and his story? The poet and the connections? The different women, the cook, the girlfriend, the museum guide? The mother and her friend?

7. The personalities, the cheerful and the depressed? Consciousness of self, work? The capacity for talk, the capacity for drink, the influence of drink?

8. The focus on the migrant, his mother and her fuss, the restaurant, the food, talk of his father and her dismissal of him? Seeing the museum guide, disagreeing about 'the more you know, the more you see'? His return, the impromptu gift? Talking, their sharing stories, her going out, her story and her past relationships, the boyfriends and their military background, his lying and boasting? Her drinking? Their being together, sexually? At play? The ex-boyfriend, the punch? Her decisions - to migrate or not? Did she love the would-be migrant?

9. The poet and the girl at the restaurant, talk, going out, the job, flighty, her flat, his new apartment, his punching out his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend?

10. The depressed man, his wife, leaving her, moods, tablets, sharing, his girlfriend, love for her, leaving his wife, drinking, going to see his uncle?

11. The mother, her life, the restaurant? Her gift of the money to her son?

12. The characters in the background, the uncle, the friend at the museum - and his ability to silence the group of talkative young students?

13. A slice of life - the future for the characters?