"Melancholy, dreamlike." - Rory O'Connor, The Film Stage

"Connoisseurs of Hong Sang-soo’s cinema will no doubt be fascinated by the transcendent minimalism of the film, which suggests Picasso knocking off a sketch on a piece of paper in a matter of seconds." - Chuck Bowen, Slant

A trio of friends venture to the rocky shores of a large island to shoot a film together. The director, Seongmo, recently gave up acting and has decided to make a film with his own money. His former classmate, Sangguk, will operate the camera and Namhee will act in it. The only problem: Seongmo hasn’t decided what to make. As he wanders in the rocks and wind, Seongmo searches for a story. What he finds is a young woman picking up trash. And that is all he needs. With his characteristic minimalist style, in water is Film Center favorite Hong Sangsoo’s (SAIC MFA 1989) most overtly experimental work to date, utilizing a simple but profoundly bold choice: the image of the film is mostly out of focus, giving in water an impressionistic, mysterious spirit. Preceded by Pedro Costa’s aching and enthralling musical THE DAUGHTERS OF FIRE (AS FILHAS DO FOGO, 2023, 9 min., Portugal, in Portuguese with English subtitles / Format: Digital), in which sisters sing about their lives after the eruption of a volcano in Cape Verde. Film Center exclusive.


Awards & Nominations

Nominee - Encounters Award, Berlin Film Festival


The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu