A Tale of Two Sisters [2003]

In the last few years films from Far East Asian countries, especially Japan and Korea, have set the standards for horror movies – a fact substantiated by the number of American remakes they inspire. A Tale of Two Sisters, which can essentially be clubbed as psychological horror, is decidedly a part of that trend. Directed by Kim Jee-Woon, one of the most exciting Korean filmmakers of today, and inspired by an ancient folklore, the movie is not so much about supernatural elements as it is about exploration such themes as familial dysfunction, memory, loss and mental disintegration. The most noteworthy aspect about the movie is that the eerie and spooky moments it comprises of have been very well complemented by its melancholic tone and lush visuals. The plot begins with two closely-knit sisters arriving at an isolated house, located at the middle of nowhere, to stay with their father and step-mother. Not only would be criminal of me to reveal any more of the plot, it would also be exceedingly difficult for me to do so given its byzantine nature. The third act might seem too mind-bending for some and the climax especially cryptic and ambiguous – but in my opinion they added to the very essence of the film as this was anyway never planned to be an open-and-shut kind of work. The acting in this haunting mood-piece is also really good and engaging.





Director: Kim Jee-Woon
Genre: Horror/Psychological Horror/Family Drama
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

The Host [2006]

The Host, directed by the acclaimed South Korean director of Memories of a Murder fame, is summer blockbuster like few of its kind. On one hand it is a pretty darn satisfying popcorn churner with some rip-roaring thrill quotient, while on the other it is a darkly comic character study and a potent socio-political commentary. The movie starts off with a blatant abuse of the environment when an American scientist orders his Korean assistant to clear bottles after bottles of formaldehyde into the basin, and that ends up producing an uncouth blood-thirsty creature that one not-so-fine day jumps out of River Han and creates mayhem in Seoul. The movie kicks into full-throttle when the young daughter of our dim-witted but courageous protagonist (Song Kang-ho), belong to a dysfunctional but courageous family, takes a vow to get even with the ugly monster and rescue her daughter who has been trapped in a dank sewer of the labyrinthine drainage systems by the river. The movie boasts of some fine SFX and scintillating action sequences; but the maverick director managed to make this a genre-bending film by having oddball characters with their share of idiosyncrasies taking the place of regular heroes expected in creature films, and infusing his quintessential dose of black humour which will even make you cringe at times. And the underlying statement on our rapidly deteriorating environment through human callousness, too, shall not be lost on the viewers.





Director: Bong Joon-ho
Genre: Thriller/Black Comedy/Social Satire/Science-Fiction/Creature Film
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Barking Dogs Never Bite [2000]

The refreshingly offbeat movie Barking Dogs Never Bite, by Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, has all those thematic and stylistic aspects, quirks and trademark tar-black black humour that would reach memorable heights three years later in his Memories of Murder. Like the latter, this darkly funny movie managed to make me laugh and cringe simultaneously by gleefully throwing sharp, pointed jabs at the darker aspects of human nature and society. With an aptly discordant yet snazzy Jazz soundtrack as accompaniment, the movie presents the ordinary-as-hell lives of a dog-hating university lecturer married to a nagging wife and hoping to someday find enough money to bribe his way to a long overdue promotion, and a neurotic young girl who spends all her days doing tidbits of community service in the hope that someday it’ll earn her fame and recognition. The director, through his whimsical comic placements, ironies and searing observations, has made these two otherwise utterly mundane characters – in essence fringe personas of the society – unique, distinctive and utterly commendable through generous interjections of idiosyncrasies in their personalities and in their interactions. And like Ameros Perros, I'd strongly advise dog lovers & PETA activists to stay away from this one too.





Director: Bong Joon-ho
Genre: Comedy/Black Comedy/Social Satire
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Memories of Murder [2003]

Memories of Murder is a rarity in that despite being a ‘based-on-real-events’ movie, it has still managed to go beyond the mere facts on which it is based. A very well made policier – it is about South Korea’s first recorded case of a serial killer – the movie meticulously follows two foe-turned-friends cops – a veteran, sardonic street-smart officer for whom end justifies the means, and a smart young rookie who dares to be different – trying to get hold of the slippery culprit. However, the actual tracking process fades in comparison to the gradual transformation of the characters revealed through deft change in mood and tone of the narrative. Despite the seriousness of the plot, the director has never shied from including darkly comic moments of near absurdist proportions at various instances of the fluid structure. One of the most striking aspects of the movie lies in its exceptional cinematography – the lush, panoramic outdoor shots have been perfectly juxtaposed with the decrepit squalor of the interiors. Never afraid of depicting the nastier sides of crime investigation, this wonderfully enacted movie has managed to pull surprises at nearly every turn of its crisp length.






Director: Bong Joon-Ho
Genre: Crime Drama/Black Comedy/Mystery
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

The Chaser (Choo-gyeok-ja) [2008]

First feature of Na Hong-Jin, The Chaser is a compelling thriller that nearly any debutant director would happily have in his resume, more so if he’s a Korean given the gut-wrenching plot and onscreen violence. The director must have taken a leaf out of Park Chan-Wook’s masterful Vengeance Trilogy while making this psychological cat-and-mouse struggle between a former cop turned pimp and a dangerous psychopath who’s proving to be a thorn in the former business (murdering prostitutes belonging to his stable, i.e.). Interestingly, the ex-cop doesn’t just have to run against time to catch the elusive serial killer, he also has to fight nearly insurmountable obstacles in the form of ludicrous bureaucratic hassles as well as the strained relationship with his former colleagues. True to its name, the movie has some tremendous chase sequences through various dimly lit narrow by-lanes of Seoul. Unabashedly violent and extremely addictive, the movie is sure to have one glued to the screen till its bloody climax. Taut screenplay, impressive acting and glossy production values have made this a dark, frantic, gripping and an utterly watchable flick.





Director: Na Hong-Jin
Genre: Thriller/Psychological Thriller/Serial Killer Movie/Cop Movie/Mystery
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

The Bow (Hwal) [2005]

Kim Ki-Duk has explored a tale of forbidden love in the serene but quietly disturbing movie The Bow. Veering decidedly towards abstract imageries and performances, it chronicles the peaceful existence of a laconic older man and an ever-smiling young girl who he has brought up in his boat and plans to marry as soon as she turns seventeen. However with the Korean director’s movies one knows peace is nothing more than superficial – first we have lecherous men making obscene passes at and attempts on the girl, and soon enough we see a sensitive teenager falling in love with her, which drastically complicates the secluded love affair of the unlikely couple. The bow, which the old man uses as a dangerous weapon, a fortune-telling tool, as well as a musical instrument, easily manages to delineate the basic motif of the plot. The movie is heavily reminiscent of Duk’s 3-Iron in particular in that dialogues play a minimal role here (a common string for all his movies I’ve watched) and the two principal protagonists’ voices are never heard as they hardly ever speak, and when they do, they do so in whispers. Surrealistic in feel, layered in content and making fine use of symbolisms, this movie is bound to keep the viewers spellbound, even if at the end they would be left uncomfortable and with a heavy heart.





Director: Kim Ki-Duk
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama/Romance
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Joint Security Area [2000]

Park Chan-Wook, famous for his brilliant, visceral depictions of violence in the now legendary Vengeance Trilogy, directed this otherwise sentimental anti-war movie prior to his ferocious Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. The movie starts with two alternate presentations of what might have led to shootouts and two murders at the highly brittle DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) between the two Koreas – the result of which could be renewed hostilities and worse, full-scale war. A neutral Swiss citizen of Korean origin (charmingly played by the lady who would later reverse conventions with devastating effect in Lady Vengeance) is asked to unearth what actually transpired; what follows is an unlikely but doomed tale of friendship and camaraderie that dared to defy synthetic man-made borders and barriers. Though the irony of the climax could have been more subtle and understated and the plot at times overtly borders on the maudlin, this is nonetheless a well-enacted tale dealt with enormous sensitivity and a good mixture of humour, satire and pathos by the director.





Director: Park Chan-Wook
Genre: Drama/War/Mystery/Political Drama
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring [2003]

Often considered to be the finest work till date of Korean enfant terrible Kim Ki-Duk, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter… and Spring is an intensely philosophical work of art. This dream like fable is set at a small Buddhist monastery located at somewhere in an unbelievably serene landscape of remarkable natural beauty. The movie follows the life of a character through the various seasons of nature as well as life – from childhood through adulthood to old age, and covering a plethora of experiences including joy, sorrow, lust, jealousy, rage, tranquility and bliss. In essence, it has captured the cyclical journey of life, and ironically a vicious one at that. The movie is lyrical in content, comprises of very few spoken words (a common link for all the Kim Ki-Duk films that I've seen), and is embalming for those with a philosophical bend of mind; however, scratch the surface a little, and you’ll notice a very palpable and disturbing statement on the inherent violence in human nature. The acting is good, managing to capture the various nuances of the story. Interestingly, the director cast himself in one of the seasons (winter), and did a fine job at it.





Director: Kim Ki-Duk
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

3-Iron (Bin-Jip) [2004]

Controversial Korean director Kim Ki-Duk’s 3-Iron is a uniquely beautiful and an immensely contemplative movie. The movie is filled with deeply existential and philosophical undertones, thanks in large parts to its sparse dialogues, beautifully choreographed imagery, and the hauntingly surreal narrative. In fact, the two principal protagonists of the movie – a strangely psychotic drifter who surreptitiously moves in unoccupied houses only to spend some serene time and do some unexpected philanthropy, and a fragile and bruised married lady living a torturous existence under complete domination of her volatile husband – are never seen conversing with each other, and yet develop a profound, platonic relationship where eye glances, facial expressions and soft touches take the place of words. Despite being punctured with displays as well as implications of brutality and violence, the movie is filled with layers of symbolisms and a lingering sense of sadness where dreams and reality are juxtaposed to an extent where they remain hardly separable.






Director: Kim Ki-Duk
Genre: Drama/Romantic Drama/Psychological Drama
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Samaritan Girl (Samaria) [2004]

Samaritan Girl, the third movie I watched at this year’s Kolkata Film Festival, is a somber and serious drama directed by Kim Ki-Duk. Even though this is my first experience of the South Korean director, it wasn’t hard to understand why he wins appraisals at international film circuits and courts controversy at his country in the same breath – his nonchalance in tackling subjects that most would want to carefully avoid. Told in three chapters, the movie tells the tale of a young, sensitive girl who leaves aside scruples to earn a quick buck with her close friend, he strange U-turn on her friend’s tragic death, and her final confrontation (a subtle psychological) one with her loving father when her dark secret gets accidentally revealed. The subject has been sensitively handled, and has been infused with a sad, morose tone that acts as a means of juxtaposition for the girl’s existence. However, what could have been a very dark and troubling film, didn’t really have that extra bite to really move or disturb us. This strange tale of lost innocence, redemption, two lonely souls’ attempts at connection with each other and with strangers which were destined to fail from the beginning, and a father’s desperate attempts to come to terms with the shocking revelations about her daughter, is saddening though lacking in profundity.





Director: Kim Ki-Duk
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama/Coming of Age
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

A Bittersweet Life [2005]

A Bittersweet Life, life Park Chan-Wook’s Oldboy, is a lyrical ode, a bittersweet poetry and a mesmerizing study on brutal, nerve-wracking violence and mayhem. In fact the movie is so good that at time, despite the clinical (and at times unforgettable) display of onscreen fury, my heart swelled with pain and empathy. Sun-Woo (brilliantly portrayed by Lee Byung-heon with astonishing ease), is a taciturn and nattily dressed enforcer for a gang-leader who he has been serving for seven years with deadly effectiveness. But then in a momentary lapse of judgment he lets the heart cloud his brain by developing feelings for his boss’ unfaithful girlfriend. And this sets in motion an irreversible course of action. The onscreen violence might be a tad too difficult to watch for the faint-hearted; for me, however, watching this incredibly choreographed, gorgeously photographed and magnificently directed movie (with a haunting soundtrack as an added feature) was an extremely exhilarating experience. The director’s ability to pay singular attention to the minutest details and drench the movie with a scintillating dose of nihilism and understated emotions, have made this otherwise straightforward plot attain an operatic quality with philosophical overtones. Sun-Woo’s realization that he had a sweet dream which unfortunately can’t ever come true provided the movie with an ending that I won’t forget anytime soon.





Director: Kim Jee-woon
Genre: Action/Gangster Drama/Crime Thriller/Revenge Movie
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean

Three... Extemes [2004]

Three…Extremes is a unique omnibus of short films in the genre of psychological terror – unique because three reputed directors, one each from Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan, combined forces in order to scare the viewers. The first one, Dumplings, directed by Fruit Chan (of Made in Hong Kong fame), is a well-made and marvelously eerie tale of a beautiful lady going to a mysterious maker of home-made dumplings, eating which would improve her fertility. The second film, Cut (undoubtedly the best of the trio), directed by the inimitable Park Chan-Wook, is a near poetic execution of a tale of extreme violence. The short, involving a vicious psychological tussle between a famous filmmaker and psychopath, is brilliantly conceptualized and extremely well enacted. The finale, Takashi Mike’s Box, unfortunately, is a complete letdown. The tale of a lonely writer harboring a dark secret from her childhood days, by simultaneously being too surreal and bizarre, fails to either terrify or engage the viewers. Though episodic shorts can be disorienting and/or disengaging for viewers at times, Three… Extremes, on the whole, is a decent watch – if not anything, for Chan-Wook’s enthralling piece.






Directors: Fruit Chan, Park Chan-Wook, Takashi Mike
Genre: Horror/Psychological Thriller/Omnibus Film
Language: Chinese/Korean/Japanese
Country: China (Hong Kong)/South Korea/Japan

I’m A Cyborg, But That’s OK [2007]

Maverick Korean auteur Park Chan-Wook’s latest film and his first since he completed his vaunted Vengeance Trilogy with the aesthetic Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, has literally opened new doors (even by his standards) insofar as quirky film-making is concerned. The movie takes place in a mental asylum, and is absolutely unique in that it presents the world from the point-of-view of the mentally ill. Ultimately it is a whimsical yet heartfelt love story between a recently institutionalized frail, young girl who believes she is a cyborg who must seek (you guessed it) vengeance against “the white ones” and a good-natured, anti-social guy who has convinced his fellow inmates that he can steal people’s personality traits. Even though filled with vintage Park moments, character sketches, idiosyncrasies, craziness and a twisted sense of humour, it however feels a bit stretched, jaded and messy, especially in the last third act. At the end of the day I must add that even though this isn’t an exceptional movie per se – at times it is almost a failure by Park’s standards, it is a very brave and passionate attempt nonetheless.





Director: Park Chan-Wook
Genre: Comedy/Black Comedy/Social Satire/Romantic Drama/Asylum Movie/Experimental
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance [2002]

Park Chan-Wook’s acclaimed Vengeance Trilogy got a fabulous kick-start by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. The movie essentially comprises of multiple violent revenge tales presented in a single, scintillating package. A mute blue collar guy, in desperate need of money to get kidney transplant for his ailing sister, opts to sell his kidney at the black market in return for money, but gets robbed in the process. Conspiring with his politically active girlfriend, he decides to kidnap his boss’ daughter; but as is bound to happen, it goes horribly wrong. What follows is quintessential Park Chan-Wook. Even though it is a revenge movie, it very nearly missed being a thriller thanks to its lazy pace and philosophical tone. The long shots, screeching silences and detailed depictions of seemingly mundane events, are memorably contrasted with sudden bursts of nerve-wracking violence, kinetic action and black humour. A very well made movie, it also acts as a great precursor (and an introduction for those uninitiated to Park’s quirky style of filmmaking) to his brilliant masterpiece Oldboy and the poetic climax Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.


To read a detailed review by me on the complete Vengeance Trilogy, click here.




Director: Park Chan-Wook
Genre: Crime Thriller/Action/Revenge Movie/Psychological Drama
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (Chin-jeol-han Geum-ja-ssi) [2005]

Park Chan-Wook’s final chapter of his renowned “Vengeance Trilogy”, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is a quirky, offbeat and absolutely irresistible thriller that endears itself to the viewers in spite of its violence-ridden subject matter. However, despite being a revenge flick, it is as different from its precursor Oldboy, as Oliver Stone’s Platoon was from Born on the 4^th of July, even though both were deeply anti-war movies. While the former was as violent as a movie could get, in this one hardly gets to see much blood on screen. Yet both are connected by the common string of visual splendour. The over-employed tale of a falsely accused convict leveling the equation with his – in this case, her – perpetrator reaches an almost surreal, psycho-analytical plane as much because of its brilliantly stylized form as because of its deeply layered plot and character sketches. The movie is laced with a poetic amalgamation of screeching silences and evocative score, and interspersed with moments of great pathos with punches of a wicked sense of humour. Add to that terrific performances from every actor, especially by the beautiful protagonist (she's in fact so beautiful and innocent looking that she decides to put red lining around her eyes to look more cold and determined), and you have a movie as engaging as any in its genre. Whoever said “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” must surely be smiling in utmost appreciation.


To read a detailed review by me on the complete Vengeance Trilogy, click here.





Director: Park Chan-Wook
Genre: Thriller/Crime Drama/Psychological Thriller/Revenge Movie
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Oldboy (Oldeuboi) [2004]

The maverick Korean director Park Chan-Wook has created poetry out of extreme violence and bizarre misfortune in this uniquely visceral movie. The shock therapy dished out is unmistakable. Oldboy tells the mind-boggling and utterly discomforting tale of a simple-minded buffoon Oh Dae-su, who, for apparently no reason is put into solitary confinement for 15 years. When he was least expecting, he is released and given 5 days to uncover the truth. An explosive tale of punishment, vengeance and redemption, the movie is as visually implosive as it is intellectually stimulating. The dénouement is so unanticipated and shocking that it would leave even the most hard-core movie viewers numbed out of their senses. The sudden bursts of histrionics are wonderfully balanced with deadpan humour by the lead actor. The psycho-analytical study of a simple man’s transformation into a mad and ruthless avenger is disquietingly perfect in this dark, riveting thriller. The sheer audacity and technical virtuosity of the director are palpable in every single sequence.



To read a detailed review by me on the complete Vengeance Trilogy, click here.





Director: Park Chan-Wook
Genre: Psychological Drama/Psychological Thriller/Action/Romantic Drama
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea