A film within a film. What could be better? Hong Sang-soo applies his signature elliptical narrative style and naturalist camerawork to this tale of life imitating art, blurring the line between which is which. Broken into two halves, first we are shown a film and then the aftermath of its viewing. Without giving too much away, questions of using life in art, cinematic identification, professional success, and male entitlement are brought to our attention. Hong has garnered comparisons to Eric Rohmer, a Film School favorite, with his centering of conversations, contradictory characters, and contemporary relationships between men and women. As one of the most idiosyncratic working directors, Tale of Cinema is a great place to start with Hong’s wide oeuvre.