When Kwon returns to Seoul after convalescing in the mountains, she finds a bundle of letters from Mori. Back from Japan to declare his love for her once again, Mori is surprised not to have found her and writes to her about his wait near to where she lives, in the traditional Bukchon village. Added to the fluster caused by this little “packet of love” is Hong Sang-soo’s delightfully playful structure: when the bundle falls to the ground the letters are picked up out of sequence. As a result, their narrative, which forms the substance of the film, unfolds in slightly haphazard order. An amorous disorder that echoes Mori’s inner state as he tries to kill time between a Japanese-style café with a deceptively promising name (Hill of Freedom) and the small courtyard, redolent of a tiny theatre, at the guesthouse where he is staying. “Rhymes, folds, repetitions and rhythmic variations – Hong Sang-soo works as much as an inspired composer as a virtuoso origami artist.” (Arnaud Hée)
C.G.
