For those familiar with Hong Sang-soo’s filmography, his works often explore recurring themes, this one being no exception. While Isabelle Huppert stars, marking her third collaboration with the director, the film delves into familiar territory, prompting reflection on what a traveler’s needs truly are.
The premise centers around Iris (Huppert), a French woman residing in Seoul and ostensibly working as a French teacher. However, her second lesson with Won-ju (Lee Hye-young) and her observing husband, Hae-soon (Kwon Hae-hyo), reveals that Iris is a novice, experimenting with teaching while spending her days exploring.
The couple exhibits skepticism, but participate in the lesson nonetheless. Conversing and drinking (a staple in Hong’s films) in English, a repetition of the earlier student’s conversation ensues. Iris expresses a desire for people to express themselves more fully.
This sets the stage for much of the conversation and drinking prevalent in Hong’s films. Iris encourages her students to delve deeper, to uncover their genuine desires for expression. A quick translation into French is provided, empowering students to express themselves more effectively than any vocabulary textbook could offer.
Along her travels, Iris encounters Korean poetry, which is promptly translated for her, reinforcing her belief in learning about a culture through short texts rather than exhaustive vocabulary lists. This idea, while central, may not sustain a film on its own, even if Hong’s films can be enjoyable.
Translation and Cultural Immersion
One of the key themes explored is the role of translation in cultural understanding. Iris’s approach to teaching emphasizes personalized expression over rote memorization. This speaks to a traveler’s needs to connect with a culture on a deeper level than just knowing the language. The film challenges the notion that fluency is essential for meaningful cultural exchange. Instead, it suggests that a willingness to engage with local art and literature, even in translation, can provide valuable insights.
The Importance of Open-Mindedness
Iris’s interactions with her students and her exposure to Korean poetry underscore the importance of open-mindedness when traveling. As Iris says to her student “Iris wants people to express more”, the film highlights the idea that a traveler’s needs extend beyond simply seeing the sights or ticking off a list of tourist attractions. True travel, according to the film, involves a willingness to embrace the unfamiliar, to question one’s own assumptions, and to connect with people on a human level.
Challenging Conventional Relationships
The film presents a potentially awkward element when Iris, living with a younger Korean poet, In-guk (Ha Seong-guk), encounters his visiting mother. This creates a fairly typical debate between parent and child, concerning the unconventional relationship, which weakens Iris’s role. This highlights the challenges and cultural differences travelers may encounter when immersing themselves in new cultures and relationships. A traveler’s needs sometimes includes navigating complex social dynamics and challenging conventional norms.
Overcoming Language Barriers
Iris navigates life in Seoul as a non-fluent speaker, this emphasizes the possibility of understanding and experiencing a culture without complete language fluency. Perhaps, that knowledge might limit one to clichés. As a traveller, an open mind is more important. Therefore a traveler’s needs are more about being open to understanding the culture instead of fluently knowing the language
Ultimately, the film emphasizes the idea that we do not need to be fluent in a language to understand and experience a culture. A traveler’s needs include having an open mind. Knowledge can limit one to predictable comments.
