Claire's Camera

Claire's Camera (French: La caméra de Claire) is a 2017 drama film written, produced, and directed by Hong Sang-soo and starring Isabelle Huppert and Kim Min-hee. The film had its world premiere in the Special Screening section of the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2017. It was released in France on 7 March 2018 and in South Korean on 25 April 2018.

Claire's Camera
Theatrical release poster
French	La caméra de Claire
Directed by	Hong Sang-soo
Written by	Hong Sang-soo
Produced by	Hong Sang-soo
Starring	Isabelle Huppert Kim Min-hee
Cinematography	Lee Jin-keun
Edited by	Hahm Sung-won
Music by	Dalpalan
Production companies	Jeonwonsa Film Co. Les Films du Camélia
Distributed by	Jour2Fête (France) Contents Panda (South Korea)
Release dates	21 May 2017 (2017-05-21) (Cannes) 7 March 2018 (2018-03-07) (France) 25 April 2018 (2018-04-25) (South Korea)
Running time	69 minutes[1]
Countries	South Korea France
Languages	English French Korean
Budget	$100,000[2]
Box office	$191,980[3]

Plot

While working for a Korean film distribution company at the Cannes Film Festival, Jeon Man-hee is pressured to quit her job after her boss, Nam Yang-hye, tells her that she no longer trusts Man-hee, refusing to elaborate on why she feels this way. In fact, the firing took place because she had sex with director So Wan-soo during the festival. Man-hee decides to remain in Cannes for the time being.

Claire, a Parisian music teacher who has travelled to Cannes with a friend to attend a screening of the latter's film, has a chance encounter with So at a café. She brings him to a local library and teaches him to recite a French poem. Although not a professional artist, Claire is an avid photographer who takes photos with her instant camera. While at dinner with So and Yang-hye, she shares her photos, including a photo she took earlier the same day of Man-hee. So and Yang-hye are confused at the circumstances of the photo, particularly why Man-hee is wearing more makeup than usual. After Claire has left, it is revealed that So and Yang-hye have a romantic relationship, possibly contributing to Man-hee's firing. So ends the relationship, claiming that he wants to ensure that their business relationship is not jeopardized.

Later, Claire meets Man-hee after taking her photo at the beach. During their conversation, Claire mentions that she has never eaten Korean food; Man-hee offers to cook for her. Man-hee brings Claire back to the apartment hotel she is staying at with her co-workers, where they share a meal prepared by her roommate. Claire discusses her encounter with So and Yang-hye, leading Man-hee to understand the circumstances of her dismissal.

Man-hee runs into So on the terrace of a hotel, whereupon he accuses her of seeking male attention by wearing short shorts. Shortly afterwards, Claire, who is also there, takes a photo of Man-hee, further upsetting her. Man-hee later brings Claire to the café where her firing took place. Claire takes a photo of Man-hee, telling her that she takes photos because the only way to change things is to "look at everything again, very slowly". Claire tells Man-hee about the death of her boyfriend months prior. Man-hee receives a text message from Yang-hye, who is waiting outside Man-hee's place to talk to her. While their conversation is not depicted, Man-hee is seen back at work taping boxes.

Cast

• Isabelle Huppert as Claire
• Kim Min-hee as Jeon Man-hee
• Chang Mi-hee as Nam Yang-hye
• Jung Jin-young as So Wan-soo
• Yoon Hee-sun as Sung-yeon
• Lee Wan-min
• Kang Tae-woo [ko] as Jung-woo
• Shahira Fahmy as Claire's friend
• Mark Peranson as man on terrace

Production

In May 2016, it was announced that Isabelle Huppert, Kim Min-hee, Jung Jin-young and Chang Mi-hee had joined the cast of the film, with Hong Sang-soo directing the film. It was shot during the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.^[4][5]

Release

Claire's Camera had its world premiere in the Special Screening section of the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2017.^[6][7] The film was released theatrically in France on 7 March 2018 by Jour2Fête and in South Korean on 25 April 2018 by Contents Panda.^[8][9][10] In August 2017, Cinema Guild acquired US distribution rights to the film.^[11] It opened at New York City's Film Society of Lincoln Center on 9 March 2018 and in select cities on 23 March.^[12][13]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 89% based on 56 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Claire's Camera adds another deceptively unassuming entry to writer-director Hong Sang-soo's oeuvre – one whose lingering impact belies its brief length."^[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[15]

Accolades

Awards	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
27th Buil Film Awards	Best Film	Claire's Camera	Nominated	[16]

See also

• Isabelle Huppert on screen and stage