I'm going to have to agree with a previous reviewer who called this "Hong Sang-Soo's first is his best" and add the words "to date". And if you are someone who has only watched his latest films (post 2010), you are in for a treat and will also understand what all the fuss is about this brilliant director. Once again, he proves that the simple the approach, the better the outcome. I consider myself a Korean film buff, to the point where I traveled to Seoul to get a first hand feel of the people and the environment I have seen in so many films. This film, though relatively old, captures more of what I saw while in Seoul than all the recent hollywood-esque films, which companies like CJ entertainment have been churning out. Maybe that's because, in part, plastic surgery wasn't the in-thing in Seoul in 1996. I would love to ask the director how he goes about casting his extras because I just can't figure out how he gets them to behave so naturally in front of the camera. No spoilers here....Go watch the film and enjoy!!