THE LONG EXCUSE

Miwa Nishikawa / Masters / Japan / 2016 / drama / 124 mins

Celebrity writer Sachio Kinugasa was with another woman the moment his wife of 20 years died in a bus accident. The media circus surrounding the accident brings Sachio to the attention of the heartbroken Yoichi, whose wife also died. An unlikely friendship develops, with Sachio finding himself drawn to this sad sack, and to taking care of Yoichi’s two children.

THE NET

Kim Ki-duk / Masters / South Korea / 2016 / drama, thriller / 114 mins

A North Korean fisherman drifts into Southern waters when his engine breaks down. Absurd and harrowing, the ensuing face-off between innocent and his interrogators reveals the human cost of sovereignty and the lengths that one man will go to provide for and return to his family.

YOURSELF AND YOURS

Hong Sang-soo / Masters / South Korea / 2016 / comedy, drama, romance / 86 mins

Minjung could be a romantic, a liar, a drunk, a twin, or a mere figment of the male narcissist’s imagination. But tell that to the men in her life, from a boyfriend who can’t tolerate the rumors about her, to the passerby on the street who swear they’ve met her before. As the men cycle through, their insecurities are refracted through Minjung’s prism-like identities, creating a delightful game of misrecognition that make her a classic Hong Sang-soo heroine.