Hong Sang-soo portrays mysterious love with fragile and supple images. His new film "The Woman Who Ran Away," winner of the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, is now in theaters.

. No director's style is as easy to understand as this one. At the same time, however, there is no other director whose films leave the viewer in such a whirlpool of contemplation.

The new film, which opens today, June 11 (Friday), will bring his fans as well as those who do not know him into a phase of bewilderment and excitement.

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During a business trip by her husband, who has never left her during their five-year marriage, the main character Gami (Kim Min-yi) is alone for the first time and visits and reunites with three female friends in the suburbs of Seoul. Yong-Soon, a divorced senior who takes good care of her, Soo-Yeon, a senior who enjoys an easygoing single life, and Woo-Jin, an old friend whom she met again by chance. Everywhere they go, Gami persistently repeats her husband's words, "You should stay with the one you love no matter what. Through the women's true feelings hidden in their gentle and intimate conversations and the appearance of men who disturb them, something gradually begins to change within Gami. Who is the "woman who ran away" and what did she run away from?

Hong Sang-soo, the proud Korean film director, is remembered for "Soni is in a Good Mood" ('13), "The Right Day, the Wrong Day" ('15), and, for those familiar with the Japanese, "In Jiyugaoka," starring Ryo Kase, as his best-known works.

Most of his past films have depicted "women" being pushed around by capricious men, often using strange zooms, long takes, and dialogue that is both routine and funny. The film has a naturalistic style that could easily be considered a documentary, but it is also a meticulously designed film, and this one-of-a-kind film has been highly acclaimed in Europe and other countries around the world.

However, in contrast to his previous films, which have muddled the conflict structure between men and women, his new film, "The Woman Who Ran Away," focuses on the female psyche and presents it in a fragile yet supple visual manner. Kim Min-hee, who is both public and private partner to Hong Sang-soo, plays the main character, Gami, who goes to meet three women with whom she once had a relationship.

Gami, who has never spent a day away from her husband since her marriage, returns to her own life as she talks with three women about their views of love and each other's past. The subtleties of her heart are captured in images that are never exaggerated. Although the film is an indoor drama, it is occasionally interspersed with shots of majestic nature and animals lying on the road, and the depth of the film is stirring.

The three women surrounding Gami are also noteworthy. Seo Yong-hwa and Son Mi, who also co-starred with Kimmini in "Alone on the Beach at Night" ('17), showcase their intimate interactions, and Kim Saebyeok, whose role as Dr. Yeonji in "Hachidori" ('18) is still fresh in our minds, shows another side of himself.

The film won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival and has already been featured in Japanese cinemas, raising expectations for the film. The film opens in theaters today, June 11 (Fri.). Hong Sang-soo will surely rewrite your view of cinema.