Abstract

Predominantly linear narrative arrangements used to direct the spectator's comprehension are but one of many options made available to filmmakers. Opposing this convention, the films of South Korean director Hong Sang-soo are characterized by their complex narratives as much as the romantic triangles that inhabit them. This thesis addresses the “optional path” narratives observable in Hong's films, which deny the audience the ability to reconstruct an objective, verifiable timeline. Whereas established theories of film narratives foreground the limitations placed on storytelling in order to guide comprehension, key works in Hong's cinema will be understood to adopt a “partial-geometric” model that emphasizes the agency of the spectator in creating meaning in the film text. A style-based narratological approach, operating under Formalist assumptions, will be interrogated for the fissures that emerge when it is applied against these texts. The objects of study are understood as realizing multiple diegeses, or story worlds, the boundaries of which are made speculative through the use of space. Although building upon the existing narratological insights of key scholars David Bordwell and Edward Branigan, this thesis will instead distance itself from limiting narrative frameworks in favor of optionality. The spectator is able to attribute or disarticulate the “truth value” of key events, and is encouraged to recognize the unlimited narrative arrangements and their own subjective agency. This thesis will also make initiatives to extend its insights beyond the borders of Hong's filmography, recognizing film festivals as a discursive site for expanding narrative models.