‘HILL OF FREEDOM’, FILM REVIEW. 9TH LONDON KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL 2014

by Adnan Kundi
November 9, 2014
in KOREA, LONDON KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL
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Shown in the K-Spotlight section of the 9^th London Korean Film Festival 2014, Hill Of Freedom was by far the best that I’ve seen in the festival.

Hill Of Freedom takes us to a trip down memory lane and shows the fragility of human relations mixed with emotions which always surpass the tides of time. This film is a proof that no matter what happens, the love for an individual always stays deep inside the heart and keeps coming back from time to time.

Shot in secluded and narrow streets, Director Hong Sang-Soo takes us deep inside the city of Seoul. He very artistically brought different characters together and very successfully made them relate to each other. The conversations that the characters immerse themselves into are like normal everyday conversations. There is one thing very interesting in the movie, and that is the actors are all looking natural. They don’t seem to have makeup on them, which is why it was hard to recognise the well known actors like Moon So-Ri, Ryo Kase and Seo Young-Hwa.

Kwon, a language instructor comes across a bundle of undelivered letters in her name. Upon opening them she finds out that they are from Mori, a Japanese man who had fallen in love with her during his stay in Korea, but she had turned him down. Going through the letters Kwon finds out that he had returned to Korea for her. Thus the film goes on showing the different places Mori visits, the people he comes across throughout his stay in Korea and the emotions he endures while longing for Kwon.

A film full of sentiments, subtlety, Calm and a remembrance of the past relationships, Hill Of Freedom will definitely make you relate yourself to different characters in the film. The café owner, the guests and the owners of the guest house where Mori is staying, the narrow, secluded and quiet streets of Seoul which give a nostalgic feeling when the weathers change, all are what Director Hong Sang-soo has put into the film to bring the audience as close to reality as possible.

Having its World Premiere in the 71^st Venice Film Festival 2014, it went on to be shown in different other film festivals including 39^th Toronto International Film Festival, 33^rd Vancouver International Film Festival 2014, 19^th Busan International Film Festival 2014, 58^th BFI London Film Festival 2014 and 34^th Hawaii International Film Festival 2014.

This film also won an award for Best Film at the 34^th Korean Association of Film Critic Awards 2014.