By the Stream
Cinema Guild | Release Date: August 8, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
The A.V. ClubNatalia KeoganAug 7, 2025
By The Stream continues to meld the auteur and his muse with its two central characters, employing several of Hong’s narrative and technical staples with an air of heightened self-reflection. Read full review
90
Wall Street JournalZachary BarnesAug 8, 2025
It’s a graceful, unassuming portrait of relationships old and new as a handful of characters consider their pasts and look wonderingly toward their futures, soju flowing freely all the while. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineChuck BowenSep 6, 2024
Art is a mode of potential connection built in large part on narcissism, and Hong Sang-soo is without peer these days in wrestling that irony onto the screen. Read full review
87
Paste MagazineKatarina DocalovichAug 22, 2024
Although many Hong Sang-soo signatures are present in his newest film—scenes written the morning of; long, inebriated talks over delicious meals; lovely performances from his regular players—By the Stream marks a subtle but striking shift in his preoccupations and artistry. Read full review
83
The Film StageDavid KatzAug 21, 2024
True to the title, it’s a long soak in a certain kind of soulful, middle-class malaise, not far removed from John Cassavetes’ more restrained films. Read full review
80
Little White LiesDavid JenkinsJan 30, 2025
It’s a film about making art that feels good in the moment, as the act itself can be as rewarding – and possibly even more so – than the delivery of that art to an audience. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeFeb 3, 2025
By the Stream is a wry comedy of manners that muses, in its unassuming way, on the creative act. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawJan 29, 2025
In its engaging and eccentric way, Hong’s film-making is diverting and intriguing and then it capriciously concludes, leaving things up in the air, yet without making you feel shortchanged. Perhaps this one is slighter than his recent work, but it has a comic charm. Read full review
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