I've watched Hong Sang-soo's movie "On the Beach at Night Alone". We Japanese use the word "menhera". This word describes someone who has a mental illness. I don't want to use this word because it sometimes sounds harmful (although, this word is used by the people who exactly have sickened). Watching this movie, I remembered the word "menhera".
This movie is looked at as a "selfish" or "closed" movie by me. The story is not easy to be understood. But this doesn't mean this movie is abstract. Just not so tender to tell the details or the events that had happened behind the story. However, in other words, that impression means "honest". At least, this movie is not a product that was made by their heads only. It is so vivid and powerful.
I've watched this with Japanese subtitles so I might be wrong, but they talk about the license of love. The license to love someone else... But this sounds strange. We don't need such a license to love someone else. Our love "is going on". We don't need to be aware of that fact. Or if we are aware of that fact, our love already had started.
Then, why do they speak about the license? Because, I think, for them, love is a very precious concept. If they didn't have it, they lost their license to live... That kind of "extreme" concept can be evidence that they are thinking about their life seriously. In other words, their seriousness makes them sick. So I write that this movie is full of "menhera" people.
But that difficulty of living has been described with charming actresses' acts. I remind of some "tricksters" by this movie. I am Japanese so I remember Osamu Dazai, a famous and great Japanese writer. Yes, Hong Sang-soo might be the same type...
