The Woman Who Ran (2021)
78%RT Audience Score: 56%
Awards & Nominations: 6 wins & 10 nominations
Narratively slight yet cumulatively absorbing, The Woman Who Ran finds writer-director Hong Sang-soo continuing to work in a beguilingly minor key.
The Woman Who Ran is like a puzzle that you can’t help but try to solve even after the movie is over. It’s a funny and moving film that explores the complexities of social interactions. Hong Sang-soo is a master of his craft, and this movie is no exception. It’s a deceptively simple film that becomes more complicated the more you think about it. Plus, it’s always fun to watch strange things happen in a Woody Allen-esque world. Overall, The Woman Who Ran is a must-watch for anyone who loves a good story about friendship, appearances, and the half-truths we tell each other.
Production Company(ies)
The Samuel Goldwyn Company,
Distributor
The Cinema Guild
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
35-99 Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2021
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 17m
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Language(s):Korean
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Country of origin:Korea (South)
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 9, 2021 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 11, 2022
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
The Woman Who Ran, Comedy, Drama, 1h 17m, Korean, Hong Sang-soo, written by Hong Sang-soo, starring Kim Min-hee, Seo Young-hwa, Sae-Byuk Kim, Kwon Hae-hyo, Eun-mi Lee, Suk-ho Shin, reviewed by Ela Bittencourt, Justin Chang, A.O Scott, Lawrence Garcia, Peter Bradshaw, Kathleen Sachs, Elissa Suh, Beatrice Loayza, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Andrew Wyatt, Mattie Lucas, Rene Sanchez, box office performance, budget, The Cinema Guild, MPAA rating, interconnecting philosophies, coincidences, dramas small and large, women everywhere, social performativity, perils, funny, moving, absorbing, cinematic sketch, master, Woody Allen, strange things, conversation, friendship, appearances, half-truths, shared history, polite, strained, garden, backyard, architect neighbor, young poet, movie theater, divorced, meat, cat man, business trip, encounters, friends
Worldwide gross: $189,887
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $206,522
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,925
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 22,522
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Seo Young-hwa – Young-soon
Sae-Byuk Kim – Woo-jin
Kwon Hae-hyo – Mr. Jung
Eun-mi Lee – Young-ji
Suk-ho Shin – Cat Man
Director(s)
Hong Sang-soo
Writer(s)
Hong Sang-soo
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Berlin
Awards & Nominations
6 wins & 10 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (43) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (43)
More than any filmmaker of recent years, Hang-soo reminds his audience that such social performativity isn’t without its perils.
December 5, 2021
Ela Bittencourt
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Each chapter of The Woman Who Ran is funny, moving and absorbing on its own, but the film is even more intriguing to think about afterward as you puzzle over how those chapters fit together.
July 22, 2021
Justin Chang
NPR
TOP CRITIC
“The Woman Who Ran” is a cinematic sketch, and also the work of a master.
July 10, 2021
A.O. Scott
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
To put it another way, the question we are led to ask during any given scene of The Woman Who Ran is not, “What does this event mean?” but “What does it mean to consider this an event at all?”
July 7, 2021 | Rating: B+
Lawrence Garcia
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
Pretty much all the way through, nothing very sensational seems to be happening. And yet the movie’s sensational meaning is hiding in plain sight: in the title.
December 16, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
South Korean writer-director Hong Sang-soo makes deceptively simple films that become more complicated upon consideration, and no less is the case with his 24th feature.
October 19, 2020
Kathleen Sachs
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Theres no escaping men, but there is always the cinema. This might be one way of summarizing the latest from the prolific Korean Director Hong Sang-soo.
February 25, 2022
Elissa Suh
Moviepudding
Always the keenest of social observers, Hong fills each scene with parallels, coincidences, and behavioral ticks.
December 5, 2021 | Rating: B+
Beatrice Loayza
The Playlist
Hong is a certified member of the Woody Allen film world where strange things always happen!
December 5, 2021
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality & Practice
This lean but deceptively rich feature can be seen as the apotheosis of Hong Sang-soo’s interest in the act of conversation.
November 8, 2021
Andrew Wyatt
The Lens
Perhaps the loosest of Hong’s more recent films, even less invested in a particular destination than usual, as it focuses instead on exploring subtle human interactions.
August 29, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
A profound and sincere story about friendship, appearances, and the half-truths we decide to share with others. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 9, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Rene Sanchez
Cine Sin Fronteras…
Plot
The Woman Who Ran follows Gamhee as she has three encounters with friends while her husband is away on a business trip, exploring the small and large dramas faced by women everywhere.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about The Woman Who Ran.
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