Right Now, Wrong Then

Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo (Turning Gate) has a reputation for repeating himself. With few exceptions, each of his droll comedies has followed a bumbling, lonely male director as he travels to a film festival, gets tanked on soju and awkwardly throws himself at a woman. Hong, however, is well aware of his formula, and his cheeky new movie pokes terrific fun at the tired criticisms. The first half of Right Now, Wrong Then fits the usual mold, but the real joke begins when the movie abruptly starts over and our hero—seemingly aware of his Groundhog Day do-over—makes subtly different (and smarter) choices the second time around in a rich and playful revision.