On the Beach at Night Alone Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

On the Beach at Night Alone Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 2, 2018

Sang-soo Hong is a celebrated and prolific South Korean filmmaker, creator of pictures such as “The Day He Arrives” and “Right Now, Wrong Then.” For South Korean audiences and international film enthusiasts, Hong is a fixture of tabloid journalism, having embarked on an affair with frequent collaborator Min-hee Kim, finding love with the actress while still married to his wife. The situation has fueled headlines, and now finds a place in Hong’s work, with “On the Beach at Night Alone” an insular, confessional look at the touchy situation, with Hong analyzing his life choices with help from Kim, who claims the lead role. It’s couple’s therapy in a way, but “On the Beach at Night Alone” doesn’t become a joint effort, finding Hong focusing on Kim’s journey through the wilds of regret, loneliness, and longing, speaking for the situation, not herself.

Without awareness of the Hong-Kim controversy, “On the Beach at Night Alone” isn’t effective as drama, with a wandering sense of purpose as Kim’s character embarks on an odyssey of awareness, spending time in Germany and South Korean, meeting with strangers and friends. She’s even pursued by a mystery man in black. It’s all very personal and confessional, but it lacks an entry point for outsiders, with Hong’s weirdness and structural mischief missing its mark unless one is immersed in the details of the director’s life. Performances are expressive, locations are evocative, and there’s always a sense of something brewing in the material, but “On the Beach at Night Alone” doesn’t make it easy for those standing outside the inner circle.

On the Beach at Night Alone Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.84:1 aspect ratio) presentation takes care of the smallish scope of "On the Beach at Night Alone," delivering a full sense of greenery and urban environments for the conversational exchanges, offering dimensional distances and textured locations, including sandy beaches. Detail is strong throughout, with special attention on facial particulars, which help to decode emotional subtleties. Set decoration is also open for study. Hues are active with costuming and cityscapes, and skintones are naturals. Delineation is strong.

On the Beach at Night Alone Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't created to wow listeners, heading in a more peaceful direction, offering a frontal listening event that's concentrated on dialogue exchanges, which remain sharp and nuanced. Scoring is delicate and respectful, delivering precise instrumentation. Atmospherics are compelling, supplying a sense of outdoor travel and interior echo. Surges in emotional intensity don't smother highs and lows.

On the Beach at Night Alone Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (6 pages) features an essay by Mark Peranson.

• "Q&A at the New York Film Festival" (25:50, HD) features Sang-soo Hong.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:15, HD) is included.

On the Beach at Night Alone Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Technical offerings on the Blu-ray are exceptional, bringing the feature to disc with care for its intimate design and cultural nuance. Supplements offer some illumination on the production effort. The film itself is as Your Mileage May Vary as cinema gets, with full enjoyment of "On the Beach at Night Alone" requiring a PhD in the work and private life of Sang-soo Hong.