Hotel by the River

It is winter. An aging poet spends two weeks in a modest provincial hotel overlooking the Han River. He summons his two adult sons to visit after years of estrangement, feeling that the time has come for forgiveness. Two young women, staying at the hotel, inspire him with their beauty and grace to write a new verse.

Winner of the Best Actor Award at the Locarno Festival, the new film by Korean auteur Hong Sangsoo was shot in stark, melancholy black and white. Hotel by the River invites us for a brief stay but will linger in our minds for much longer.