Na Hong-jin’s “Hope” attracts Cannes acclaim but misses Palme d’Or

EXCLUSIVE: Neon has set the North American release date for Na Hong-Jin Cannes sci-fi hit Hope as Wednesday, September 9th. Following its well-received premiere at the 79th Cannes Film Festival where it screened In Competition, the action-sci-fi recently secured one of the highest volumes of overseas pre-sales for a Korean film with more than 200 […]

Na Hong-jin’s Korean film 'Hope' drew major attention at Cannes with its ambitious scale, star-studded international cast and unexpected controversy. Here's what to know.

Director Na Hong-jin’s film “Hope” fell short of winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday (local time), but the genre-bending work remained one of the most talked-about entries in this year’s competition. Set in a remote harbor village near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), "Hope" follows a police chief and a rookie officer as they confront a mysterious being. The ensemble, including Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon alongside Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Taylor Russell, anchor the spectacle in fraught human reactions: fear, panic, denial and opportunism. Despite missing the top prize, “Hope” drew significant attention throughout the festival, emerging as a dark horse with its unconventional mix of thrills, comedy, action and science fiction. The film has generated strong buzz at Cannes, selling to major international markets and mirroring the success of Park Chan-wook’s "Decision to Leave" (2022). Critics described it as a rare surprise in an otherwise subdued lineup. Na said the film stems from his contemplation of violence a

CANNES, France — Sprawling action movies with aliens do not generally compete for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or. But Na Hong-jin's “Hope” is not your average science fiction. Few movies were more anticipated in Cannes . It's been 10 years since Na's last film, the well-regarded 2016 thriller “The Wailing.” While some of Na's fellow Korean genre masters, like Bong Joon Ho , have found global renown, for many cinephiles, Na is overdue for the kind of global introduction a Cannes premiere provides. But that doesn't mean that Na, a few hours before debuting “Hope,” was feeling at ease. “I’m really nervous,” the writer-director said in an interview alongside the Cannes beach. “I didn’t imagine it would be so nerve-wracking to be honest, to the point of not sleeping.” Na's movie, one of the most expensive Korean films ever made, certainly provides no rest. For two hours and 40 minutes, it takes a story that begins with the mysteriously scarred carcass of a dead bull and breathlessly and quite bloodily accumulates into a cosmically grand, audaciously gonzo sci-

Hope, by director Na Hong-jin, is one of the most expensive Korean films ever made. 

Hope, by director Na Hong-jin, is one of the most expensive Korean films ever made.