"What am I even watching right now?"
This line from the film "Hope" is the sentence that most accurately describes the work. What are we watching, what actually exists, and how will events unfold — all of these unpredictable elements of the narrative are realized through action. The reason the film drew attention as one of the buzzed-about titles throughout this year's Cannes International Film Festival, where it competed in the main competition, lies precisely in director Na Hong-jin's distinctive originality, which upends the conventions of science fiction (SF) and keeps audiences immersed throughout the entire running time.
"Hope" depicts the events that unfold when an unidentified creature appears in "Hopo Port," a fishing village near the Demilitarized Zone. It begins with the discovery of a cow left horrifically abandoned in the middle of a farm road. Sung-gi (Jo In-sung), a young man from the village who finds the cow bleeding with claw marks on it, reports it to Beom-seok (Hwang Jung-min), the head of the local field office. Afterward, the village rapidly collapses into chaos along with traces of an inexplicable presence.
In particular, the monstrous alien does not appear directly in the film's early scenes. Instead, against the backdrop of a devastated village, Beom-seok and policewoman Sung-ae (Jung Ho-yeon), among others, pursue the unidentified presence in tense action sequences. It remains unclear whether the presence actually exists, or whether everyone has been possessed by something invisible. Amid the question of "Is there really something there?", the audience gradually shifts toward the sensation of "What am I even watching right now?"
This uncertainty is the heart of the film. Director Na Hong-jin chooses experience over explanation. Instead of tidying up the situation, he designs a sensation in which the audience feels thrown directly into it. As a result, the action functions not merely as spectacle but as a device that generates the narrative.
The alien creature, which appears in earnest after the 45-minute mark, is both familiar and unfamiliar. While evoking "Avatar," "Alien," "Jurassic Park," and "Attack on Titan," it is realized as a being with its own distinct texture and movement. However, since the film's Cannes premiere, some critics have offered mixed assessments of the creature and CG.
There are not many characters, but each has a clear presence. Hwang Jung-min carries almost single-handedly the long chase sequence that continues before the alien creature appears in earnest, sustaining the film's tension. Jo In-sung persuasively realizes unrealistic action, from aiming a hunting rifle atop a horse to leaping from a galloping horse onto a vehicle. Jung Ho-yeon appears at a decisive moment and leaves a strong impression on the drama.
But "Hope" is not a film sustained by tension alone. Lines that pop out amid tense situations — including "What am I even watching right now?" and Beom-seok's absurd explanation of his family relationships — create unexpected laughter. Like the "What's so important?" line in "The Wailing," this is a point where Na Hong-jin's distinctive brand of humor strikes a balance with the tension.
In particular, the scenes where this humor is concentrated belong to Hae-sul, an old man of the village played by Im Hyun-sik. After witnessing the strange creature in the forest, Hae-sul confesses to Sung-ae that he secretly watched the creature while holding in his bowels. Even though he is in a dangerous situation with a severely injured leg, his overly serious and detailed explanation instead provokes powerful laughter. Director Na Hong-jin has cited this scene as his most beloved one, revealing that it was a scene he kept alive until the very end at the screenplay stage. "This scene could have pushed other parts of the narrative aside, but I put it in because I liked it so much," he explained. "It may be one of the reasons the alien creature's appearance was delayed."
This scene, which briefly twists the heavy atmosphere, is less a simple comedy than a way in which the film shakes up its own rhythm. It functions like a small "charm" characteristic of director Na Hong-jin, making the film's texture even more multidimensional.
In the end, the emotion left after the film ends is closer to confusion than clear understanding. "What did I just watch?" Yet this confusion and chaos may be precisely the sensation "Hope" intended. It opens December 15.
