Nostalgia Kinky

“I need to find myself. I need to find my old self.”

Such a universal feeling but one rarely stated as profoundly as in the haunting South Korean masterpiece SPLENDID OUTING (1978). Directed with compassion and intelligence by famed director Kim Soo-yong, SPLENDID OUTING is one of those films like PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK that lingers long after viewing. Starring the magnificent Yoon Jeong-hee, this 1978 classic is newly available from Radiance via a fine special edition Blu-ray for more to discover.

A poignant mediation on identity and loss, SPLENDID OUTING started out as a novel more about the political divisions, than a woman in crisis, in Korea but Soo-yong transforms it into something dreamily metaphysical. The set up is relatively simple: A successful businesswoman gets lost one day driving and is kidnapped by a man who abuses and imprisons her on a remote island, as her reality becomes less and less clear. While that may sound like a set-up for a cheap exploitation film, this is riveting high-art impossible to look away from as we follow this woman’s very disturbing and strange journey.

There’s a lot going on in SPLENDID OUTING. It’s dense and mystifying, with shades of Robbe-Grillet’s earlier cinematic offerings as well as Antonioni’s THE PASSENGER (1975). Everything is controlled by the astonishing lead performance from Jeong-hee, who appears in nearly every frame of the film. Her riveting performance absolutely dominates the film, so much so that I struggle recalling anyone else in the cast. It’s a real pleasure watching this fine actress navigate this difficult role with such dignity and grace. It’s really awesome.

SPLENDID OUTING arrives near then end of Soo-yong’s acclaimed career. He’d only direct half a dozen more films or so before a brief return in the late nineties. This film stands as a prime example of his talents and Radiance have put together a very nice special edition of an overlooked classic.

Beautifully restored from a 4K scan, this Radiance Blu-ray brings out the film’s mystical visual power. The original Mono Korean audio track is joined by an informative new commentary from academic, historian and major fan of the film, Ariel Schudson. I like excited she is to be recording it and it was a packed listen. We also get interviews with Interview with filmmaker Lee Chang-dong and assistant director Chung Ji-young. These are both great, providing lots of information about the film, its makers and the Korean Film Industry in general. Along with a beautiful lengthy booklet featuring new writing by Chung Chong-hwa and Pierce Conran and archival writing by director Kim Soo-yong, we get a great video essay from Pierce Conran covering the ‘Island Women’ genre and SPLENDID OUTING’S place in it. Also on hand is a double sided-sleeve and OBI strip.

I was very moved by SPLENDID OUTING and found it to be endlessly fascinating and mysterious. I hope this excellent new Radiance release turns even more first-time viewers on to it. It’s a very special film, which can be ordered directly from Radiance or MVD.

-Jeremy Richey, January 2026-