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A Traveler's Needs

Play trailer 1:50 Poster for A Traveler's Needs 2024 1h 30m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
80% Tomatometer 41 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A comedy of improbable encounters and unlikely language lessons, A Traveler's Needs marks the third collaboration between Hong and Huppert (following 2012's In Another Country and 2017's Claire's Camera). This time Huppert plays Iris, a woman who finds herself adrift in Seoul and without any means to make ends meet, turns to teaching French via a très peculiar method. Through a series of encounters, as we grow to know more about Iris and her situation, the mysteries of her circumstances only deepen.

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A Traveler's Needs

A Traveler's Needs

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Critics Consensus

Languid and subtle in form yet explosive in essence, Hong Sang-soo's A Traveler's Needs showcases humanity in all its comedic, awkward, and fluid motions.

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Critics Reviews

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Richard Whittaker Austin Chronicle Jan 7, 2025
2.5/5
A Traveler’s Needs feels like an experiment whose results are more intriguing than worth publishing. Go to Full Review Annette LePique Chicago Reader Dec 11, 2024
As the film is so intensely aware of Huppert’s presence and the charisma she carries, there’s a magical weight to her blankness, her unexplained idiosyncrasies. Go to Full Review Clint Worthington RogerEbert.com Nov 22, 2024
3/4
Its rhythms are patient, easing you into one subtly profound moment of everyday human connection after another. Go to Full Review María Fernanda Mugica La Nación (Argentina) Aug 28, 2025
4/5
...[Hong Sang-soo] explores human relationships in a way that seems everyday, simple, and fun, yet reaches transcendental levels of reflection. This is one of his greatest achievements and what makes his work so fascinating. Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Violeta Kovacsics Otroscines.com Aug 25, 2025
4/5
The poetry here is in the images, but also in the words that Iris, the woman played by Huppert, finds in the poems inscribed in the places she visits. "My path is always a new path," one says. And that's how Hong's cinema is. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Calvin Law The Asian Cut Aug 2, 2025
4/5
Hong finds the perfect balance between exposition and restraint, asserting that it’s in the words left unsaid that the truth can be found. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Danielle H Dec 28, 2024 Very quirky. A very small film, seeing for the offbeat humor and Huppert’s intriguing performance. See more Alain E @AlainE Jul 30, 2026 A movie about nothing. Only for an audience that wishes to watch an intellectual experiment. Probably the worst movie with Isabelle Huppert. On Mubi. See more Siwoo J @RT61697250 Oct 8, 2025 방황 속에서만 예술의 필연을 깨닫는다. See more MB C @MB.Cinema Aug 18, 2025 Set in Seoul, A Traveler’s Needs follows Iris, a French woman teaching language through confessional dialogue, becoming a curious mirror for the hidden desires of those she meets. Hong Sang-soo’s minimalist style long takes, static camera, and natural light captures fleeting human connections, though the film struggles with a weak central character and uneven pacing. The secondary cast often outshines Isabelle Huppert, grounding the story in moments of honesty and tension. A delicate yet uneven exploration of language, intimacy, and vulnerability. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Aug 15, 2025 Success in 1.5 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Richard B @RichardB12314 May 10, 2025 Third movie with Sang-soo and Isabelle. This is more of an experience of a language teacher who is mixing work with travel. They feel a little homeless and judged by others. The language barrier makes it hard to unravel your potential. Some people think "why would you leave your home country unless you were a failure there?" Friendships are built slowly with people who trust, but verify. See more Read all reviews
A Traveler's Needs

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Cast & Crew

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Hong Sang-soo

Director

Isabelle Huppert

Actor

Lee Hye-young

Actor

Kwon Hae-hyo

Actor

Ha Seung-guk

Actor

Jo Yunhui

Actor

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A Traveler's Needs

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A Traveler's Needs

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Movie Info

Synopsis A comedy of improbable encounters and unlikely language lessons, A Traveler's Needs marks the third collaboration between Hong and Huppert (following 2012's In Another Country and 2017's Claire's Camera). This time Huppert plays Iris, a woman who finds herself adrift in Seoul and without any means to make ends meet, turns to teaching French via a très peculiar method. Through a series of encounters, as we grow to know more about Iris and her situation, the mysteries of her circumstances only deepen.
Director
Hong Sang-soo
Producer
Kim Min-hee
Screenwriter
Hong Sang-soo
Distributor
The Cinema Guild
Production Co
Jeonwonsa Film
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Korean
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 22, 2024, Limited
Runtime
1h 30m
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