The acclaimed feature debut of Hong Sang-soo begins as a study of an affair between a temperamental writer (Kim Eui-sung) and a married woman (Lee Eun-kyung) and gradually zooms outward to reveal its tragic ripple effects on the lives of a germaphobic businessman (Park Jin-sung) and a young movie theater ticket taker (Jo Eun-sook). Though more somber in tone than many of Hong’s subsequent seriocomedies, this multi-strand drama displays his master’s touch in its unsparing look at the complexities of love (particularly when combined with alcohol) and the heart-tearing void it leaves in its absence.