An affair between an 18-year-old girl and a married older man escalates into increasingly extreme sexual territory. Uncomfortably explicit, Lies mixes voyeuristic techniques and discomforting narrative with moments of confrontational humour and fragments of meta-cinema to produce a film that is both difficult to watch and hard to turn away from. [Read More]
Category: Film reviews and comment (page 20)
Man of Vendetta (파괴된 사나이, 2010) review: respectable thriller, shame about the title
While “race against time” thrillers are two-a-penny in almost any culture, not least South Korean cinema, Man of Vendetta nonetheless manages to supplant expectations on several occasions and, thankfully, steers clear of any forced upbeat moments and saccharine segments to allow for some genuine unpredictability and gravitas to be displayed. [Read More]
A Moment (모멘트, 2010) review: a haunting exploration of karma, perception and retribution
A Moment is easily as topical today as it was when it was made in 2010, and considering recent news stories from China, perhaps even more so. A dark and twisted tale which resolutely shows that an action taken in a single moment can ultimately change the lives of all concerned, irrevocably. [Read More]
Architecture 101 (건축학개론, 2012) review: a nostalgic blueprint of first love and subjective memory
While Architecture 101 covers territory similar to that seen in a plethora of incredibly well known Korean films it nonetheless manages to stand as a worthy addition to the romantic drama genre, rather than simply appearing as a derivation, as a result of the genuine beauty and believability of its gently affecting tale. [Read More]
Kim Jeong-hoon’s A Petty Romance: a pleasant way to spend two hours
A Petty Romance (쩨쩨한 로맨스, 2010) is one of those gentle romantic comedies which Korea seems to do so well. Charming, easy-going, and despite the story line – the composition of an adult manga – not particularly risqué. Written and directed by first-timer Kim Jeong-hoon it’s nothing to rave about but it’s a very pleasant … [Read More]
Come Rain Come Shine: beautifully restrained or just a little bit wet?
There is a narrow dividing line between a movie which paints a delicate, nuanced portrait of characters who have subtle and restrained emotions, and a movie in which you want to just punch everyone in the face for being so wet. Come Rain, Come Shine is a movie which is on that dividing line, perhaps … [Read More]
Leafie – A Hen into the Wild (마당을 나온 암탉, 2011) review: a hen with a heart
Beneath its gentle humour and warmth, Leafie explores outsiderhood, family, selfless love, and sacrifice, building toward a quietly heartbreaking yet uplifting conclusion that resonates with both children and adults. Disney once asked viewers to believe that an elephant can fly. With Leafie, you’ll believe that a hen has a heart, and a beautiful one at that. [Read More]
Lee Yoon-ki’s Love Talk captures the drifting, rootless nature of an immigrant community
Lee Yoon-ki is a director who divides opinion. He is known for his delicate, nuanced character portraits which delight many an art-house enthusiast but which for those who like things to happen in their movies are a big turnoff. Love Talk will appeal to those who are in between. Love Talk (2006) is Lee’s second … [Read More]
A Reason to Live (오늘, 2011) review: faith, forgiveness and the limits of healing
While A Reason to Live should be commended for its attempt to dissect so many serious social, and even philosophical, issues within its narrative, its overuse of rather predictable clichés, contrived plot catalysts and its somewhat laboured pace detract from what would otherwise have been a worthy, cerebral story. [Read More]
Crossroads of Youth – a constantly-evolving performance of Korea’s earliest silent film
Crossroads of Youth is one of Korea’s earliest silent films, which would have at the time had narration by a byeonsa (the Korean equivalent of the Japanese benshi). The function of the byeonsa was to tell the story in the absence of diagetic dialogue (which in Western cinema was told through intertitles), in addition to … [Read More]
Actresses (여배우들, 2009) review: mockumentary fiction and celebrity reality
Set during a stalled Vogue photo shoot, Actresses observes six Korean stars across generations as boredom gives way to rivalry, confession and self-exposure. Described by director E J-yong as “a combination of reality show and fake documentary”, Actresses surely contains some truth hidden alongside the scripted scenes. [Read More]
Daytime Drinking – the perfect hangover cure
Daytime Drinking is a gentle comedy which is the perfect antidote the view that Korean cinema has lost its way. And it’s a film which makes you feel connected to Korea much more than many of the horror and action films which come our way. From the soulless self-catering guesthouse (or “pension”) in the mountains … [Read More]
Planet of Snail (달팽이의 별, 2011) review: love, interdependence and life beyond disability
A deeply touching and poignant documentary presenting a window into the life, and world, of a gentle man who has become deaf-blind, Planet of Snail is ultimately far more a story of the strength of the human heart than of the weakness of the human body. [Read More]
Planet of Snail: amusing, touching and life-affirming
Soon-ho: What are you doing? Young-chan: I’m talking to the tree Soon-ho: Is it fun? Young-chan: We’re on a date Soon-ho: Can I join in? Soon-ho interrupts her husband who has been tenderly running his fingers over the trunk of a pine tree, feeling the contours of every crevice in the bark. The conversation, at … [Read More]
Searching for the Elephant (펜트하우스 코끼리, 2009) review: overburdened by excess
A strong narrative storyline is sadly marred by overly stylised visuals and direction that largely feels forced and predictable. While certainly not a total waste, Searching for the Elephant is ultimately far less than the gripping, explicit thriller it so easily could, and should, have been. [Read More]
Desire to Kill aka Enemy at the Dead End (죽이고 싶은, 2010) review: quirky revenge in a hospital ward
Desire to Kill references some fairly serious social themes within a quirky and genuinely funny black comedy cum psychological thriller, accenting and underlining each with copious amounts of bloody violence throughout. Just don’t, whatever you do, be so lazy as to compare it to Oldboy. [Read More]