"Hope" charms theaters with its monster hunt

"Hope" by Na Hong-jin, presented in the official competition at the latest Cannes festival, was released this week in art-house cinemas. The director, known for The Chaser, The Murderer and The Strangers, offers an action-science-fiction film where reinforcements fight forest fires while Bum-seok and Sung-ae defend an aging village. Meanwhile, Sung-ki and his friends hunt a creature in the mountains, but become the target themselves. According to AlloCiné, the film holds a press average of 4.1 out of 5, the best of the week, tied with the documentary Irish Travellers. Critics praise the South Korean super-production, its jubilant chaos and its ability to mock Hollywood conventions.