How do you translate a story about inertia to the screen? And how do you do that when the source material belongs to one of English literature’s most astute chroniclers of the human psyche, in all its intricate mystery? In the case of The Beast in the Jungle, “freely adapted” from Henry James’ 1903 novella of the same name, Austrian filmmaker Patric Chiha has taken a bold creative leap. To tell the story of May Bertram and John Marcher, acquaintances who become soulmates in a strange waiting game, he moves the drama from the rarefied realm of high society to a nightclub in 20th century Paris. The action, to use the term loosely, takes place over 25 years. And it feels like it.
The problem with this version of May and John’s story, scripted by Chiha, Axelle Ropert and Jihane Chouaib, and filmed in Brussels and Vienna, isn’t the...
The problem with this version of May and John’s story, scripted by Chiha, Axelle Ropert and Jihane Chouaib, and filmed in Brussels and Vienna, isn’t the...
- 2/23/2023
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Davy Chou’s Return to Seoul is a bit of a misnomer for it is not about a return to Seoul, but many returns – if we can say that someone who never knew her homeland could be said to be returning at all…
The film opens some years in the past, with a young Frenchwoman showing up at a cute little hostel in the South Korean capital. Frédérique (Park Ji-Min) has made a last-minute decision to return to the country of her birth after being adopted as a baby by a (white) French couple. ‘Freddie’ quickly shows herself to be spontaneous and fearless, doing away with Korean custom and quickly turning a quiet dinner into a raucous, drunken all-nighter. Her new-found friends, who include the hostel receptionist Tena (Guka Han), are both enraptured and shocked by her, although audiences may find her snarky expression and slappable smirk a little less entrancing.
The film opens some years in the past, with a young Frenchwoman showing up at a cute little hostel in the South Korean capital. Frédérique (Park Ji-Min) has made a last-minute decision to return to the country of her birth after being adopted as a baby by a (white) French couple. ‘Freddie’ quickly shows herself to be spontaneous and fearless, doing away with Korean custom and quickly turning a quiet dinner into a raucous, drunken all-nighter. Her new-found friends, who include the hostel receptionist Tena (Guka Han), are both enraptured and shocked by her, although audiences may find her snarky expression and slappable smirk a little less entrancing.
- 11/15/2022
- by Jo-Ann Titmarsh
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
An adoptee explores her Korean roots in Return To Seoul, Davy Chou’s engaging drama premiering at Cannes in Un Certain Regard. Newcomer Park Ji-Min plays the magnificently complex Freddie, who was raised in France and has impetuously decided to spend a couple of weeks in the country of her birth.
There, Freddie befriends the first person she meets: Tena (Guka Han), who works at the funky little hotel Freddie is staying in. Tena gently encourages Freddie to visit the adoption agency, who offer to contact her birth parents. But Freddie’s encounters with her father aren’t easy.
The film then enters its second act, picking up on her life years later, while a third act continues her story, rather than concluding it. This is not a tale of harmonious endings, but an exploration of a character trying to come to terms with her past.
Park Ji-Min is an...
There, Freddie befriends the first person she meets: Tena (Guka Han), who works at the funky little hotel Freddie is staying in. Tena gently encourages Freddie to visit the adoption agency, who offer to contact her birth parents. But Freddie’s encounters with her father aren’t easy.
The film then enters its second act, picking up on her life years later, while a third act continues her story, rather than concluding it. This is not a tale of harmonious endings, but an exploration of a character trying to come to terms with her past.
Park Ji-Min is an...
- 5/22/2022
- by Anna Smith
- Deadline Film + TV
Benedetta star Virginie Efira plays a woman leading a double life in drama Madeleine Collins which premiered in the Venice Days section of the Venice Film Festival today. Also doubling up in Venice by serving on the competition jury, Efira puts in a terrific performance in Antoine Barraud’s taut relationship pic that veers into thriller territory.
Efira’s translator is a sophisticated, busy working woman whose job is the perfect cover for her many trips away from home. But where’s home? Is it in Switzerland in a flat with Abdel (Quim Gutiérrez) and her young daughter? Or is it in a glamorous place in France, with Melvil (Bruno Salomone) and their two adolescent sons? The fact that she’s known as ‘Judith’ in the latter and ‘Margot’ in the former increases the intrigue.
Much of Madeleine Collins’ early power is in its mysteries, and piecing the puzzle together keeps you engaged.
Efira’s translator is a sophisticated, busy working woman whose job is the perfect cover for her many trips away from home. But where’s home? Is it in Switzerland in a flat with Abdel (Quim Gutiérrez) and her young daughter? Or is it in a glamorous place in France, with Melvil (Bruno Salomone) and their two adolescent sons? The fact that she’s known as ‘Judith’ in the latter and ‘Margot’ in the former increases the intrigue.
Much of Madeleine Collins’ early power is in its mysteries, and piecing the puzzle together keeps you engaged.
- 9/4/2021
- by Anna Smith
- Deadline Film + TV
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