It goes without saying that Hong Sang Soo has a distinctive directorial style – perhaps one of the most inspired of the 21st century. This year, the renowned auteur strikes again with What Does That Nature Say To You (2025), which fits well within his oeuvre.
The premise of the film is simple enough: Ha Dong-Hwa, a precocious young poet, meets his girlfriend’s family for the first time in their idyllic mountain home. A day goes by through long hilltop conversations and meals, where Dong-Hwa’s character is tested by his in-laws through the classic “tests” to determine whether he is an apt partner for their daughter. Yet, the film gradually turns inwards to deconstruct Dong-Hwa’s character and psyche, probing into deeper ideas of self-worth and purpose.
While profound, the film still remains extremely digestible. Where other directors would pursue a more abstract direction to complement the philosophical subject matter, Hong directs with his audience in mind. I still can’t explain it (and I’m saying this even after having watched several of Hong’s films), but his way of seamlessly blending the transcendental with the ordinary almost transforms the cinematic experience into an act of secular prayer. It is so refreshing to meet a film that, despite its stasis, manages to absorb you so wholly into its world.
Hong sets his story according to a golden ratio of discomfort to humour to profundity. Every time the conversation slows and teeters on the brink of mundanity, a thought-provoking revelation is gently delivered to the audience, immediately refreshing thought on themes like class, artistry and ultimately what it means to live as an individual. These steadily build tension that finally culminates in a heated dinner table scene, which was by far my favourite part of the film.
If it’s anything about a Hong Sang Soo film, it’s that it never fails to capture the sheer richness and range of human experiences, even if it’s just between a group of five. What Does That Nature Say To You (2025) articulates the nuances and contradictions of the human condition with a marked lucidity, which simply strikes me with awe by how Hong Sang Soo manages to so skillfully peer into the soul and the world.
People say God is dead. I argue otherwise. Perhaps God is a 65-year old Korean man making movies. Or rather, Hong Sang Soo is merely the messenger, crafting films as conduits for us to find God within ourselves and the world around us.
- j