BERLINALE 2020 - The Woman Who Ran (Domangchin yeoja)

70th BERLINALE FILM FESTIVAL

Sang-soo Hong's Domangchin yeoja (The Woman Who Ran) is a slow but assured following of existential thoughts and the unstoppable flow of the past and present.

An intimate portrait executed in more or less a one camera set up throughout from cinematographer Kim Sumin adds a tremendous closeness into proceedings. It is never threatening or claustrophobic but convicted in a warm and organic sense of style that keeps the viewer engaged.

Combined with the occasional infamous slow zoom, the feature is almost inescapable. Thankfully, director and writer Sang-soo Hong never puts the audience through tremendous stress with character arcs or narrative, so such an element never feels claustrophobic yet, in the same breath, lacks a point other than a sense of style.

Domangchin yeoja is not necessarily empty but even in its short run time of just over seventy minutes, it barely beckons a thought about these characters involved. More disappointing is the fact it ultimately wasted the lead performance of Min-hee Kim as Gam-hee as she interacts with friends and ghosts of her past in a wrestle to find her own path.  

Sang-soo Hong's film is undeniably intimate and has seams of an intriguing narrative in the process of life with wonderful authentic performances. Nevertheless, Domangchin yeoja, unfortunately, does not propel a compelling enough narrative or captivating thematic weight for it to stand out within this sub-genre of existential crisis.