Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

The Power of Kangwon Province Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson November 23, 2023

In the mid-2000s, I was delighted to discover the Korean New Wave and several of its generation of auteurs, a large group that includes Hur Jin-ho, Jeong-hyang Lee, Kim Ki-duk, Lee Chang-dong, and Hong Sang-soo (among others). I bought a limited edition box set of the latter's first three features: The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well (1996), The Power of Kangwon Province (1998), and Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors (2000). I witnessed how Hong experimented with narrative form in ways I hadn't seen before. In The Power of Kangwon Province, the writer/director employs a diptych with two seemingly unrelated stories told during the same time frame. The first follows 22-year-old Ji-sook (Oh Yun-hong) who journeys from Seoul to Kangwondo (aka the mountainous Kangwon Province) along with her girlfriends, Misun (Sunyoung Im), and Eunk-young (Hyunyoung Park). Ji-sook is trying to get over a recent breakup she had with a married man. The trio head to a beach-side resort where they meet a friendly policeman (Kim Yoo-suk) who shows them around. Ji-sook becomes smitten with the policeman who, like her previous beau, is married. Soon the pair begin dining and having drinks together. Ji-sook is increasingly dependent on the policeman, which leads to some frustration. Ji-sook's friends wonder what it is about her and married men.

After forty-five minutes of screen time, the narrative shifts to the story of Sang-kwon (Baek Jong-hak), a part-time university lecturer. Sang-kwon is getting over a recent affair with a younger lady. He is married and has a younger son, who he pays some attention to but not much to his wife. Sang-kwon frequently goes out with an old university colleague, Jae-wan (Chun Jae-hyun), who's a professor. The friends enjoy imbibing soju (like sweet potato vodka) together but this also leads to Sang-kwon feeling jealous. Jae-wan has become an accomplished teacher while Sang-kwon is at a crossroads in his career. Sang-kwon and Jae-wan also travel to Kangwon Province but eventually grow bored. They have sex and female prostitutes on their minds.

The Power of Kangwon Province is beautifully lensed by cinematographer Kim Yeong-cheol. Like so many of his films, Hong employs lots of long takes (though not of the same duration as his recent work), enabling the viewer to bask in the nature shots. Ji-sook and Sang-kwon come close to bumping into each other during their initial travels. But do they actually know each other? That question will require patience on the part of the viewer. The film is about forging possible amorous connections and grappling with challenges in order to sustain them.

The Power of Kangwon Province Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Grasshopper Film's Blu-ray release of The Power of Kangwon Province is struck from a 2K restoration of the film. The picture appears in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, which is slightly opened up from the original 1.85:1, on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-25. The Korean Spectrum DVD I own presents it in its native ratio. I watched both transfers on back-to-back days and could fairly quickly discern differences in quality. The SD periodically sports artifacts from the 35 mm print used for its transfer. The image on the HD disc is very clean except for infrequent white nicks, which are very small. For the bright outdoor scenes, colors are warm. The greenery and foliage in the forest and surrounding the mountains are lush. Green hues are clearer and better defined than on the DVD. I spotted aliasing on the SD when two characters walk up the steps leading to the great waterfall. Fortunately, the Blu-ray doesn't have any shimmering (see Screenshot # 15). One image stability issue plagues both transfers. The black-and-white plaid pattern on the pillows seen in frame grab #20 flickers and wobbles. This is present on both the DVD and Blu-ray. I would argue that it's more prevalent on the latter. Other than that, there aren't any image stability problems. Overall, this is a noticeable improvement over the SD. Grasshopper has encoded the feature at a mean video bitrate of 24713 kbps.

The 110-minute film receives twelve chapters.

The Power of Kangwon Province Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Grasshopper has supplied a Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround track (2102 kbps, 16-bit). The Spectrum DVD has a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround mix. The audio mix used for the Blu-ray is superior not only because it's lossless, but also because the sound itself is cleaner. I could hear pops and crackles on the Spectrum disc during four scenes. There are some pops on the Grasshopper disc beginning at the 21-minute mark for a scene. There are a few pops and crackles in one other scene but that's it. On the surrounds, I could hear the train's engine churning. Also, insects and crickets are audible for scenes set in Kangwondo. The gush of the waterfall is prominent as is a stream in another scene. Delivery of spoken words is fine.

Grasshopper states that this is a "new and improved English subtitle translation." The subtitles' wording looks very similar to the English track on the DVD.

The Power of Kangwon Province Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Aside from a theatrical trailer, Grasshopper hasn't included any extras. There are some trailers for the label's other titles.

The Power of Kangwon Province Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Power of Kangwon Province has to rank as one of Hong Sang-soo's better films and would make a nice introduction to the auteur's oeuvre. The picture boasts highly appealing visuals. The film includes themes of infidelity, disconnect, and alienation. It should attract fans of Tsai Ming-liang. Hopefully, a remastered Blu-ray of The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well will arrive in the US market sometime in the near future. Grasshopper Film's video and audio presentations are imperfect but still very good. Extras are nil. A SOLID RECOMMENDATION.