Another feature film from the "underground" Korean director Kim Ki-duk. This is one of the most f*cked up movies I have ever seen. So if you have never seen one of his movies then be prepared for anything. Kim Ki-duk's films are unpredictable at times and balance on the thin borderline of insanity and downright mad.
This is the journey a very very dysfunctional family driven to the brink thanks to the fathers cheating and the mother having a psychotic break down. Sadly it is the son that receives the worst punishment due to his father and mother's problems.
The mother (Lee Eun-woo) discovering the woman who her husband is sleeping with. Decides to get even with him but in her sickened mind she doesn't realize (I hope) that she will ruin her child's life. For the most of the movie it appears she has gone crazy but towards the end of the film it appears she is gaining her sanity. To try to make amends she does something far beyond what a traditional mother would do for her son. Proving that she has love for her son but at the same time cements the fact that this is not the type of family you would like to be apart of.
The father (Cho Jae-hyun) the root of the problem that strikes his son. He is a man controlled by pleasure as he can be seen having sex with his mistress but at the same time expects for everything to be alright. At times it seemed like he didn't care until his son is hurt. After the "incident" he becomes a more devoted father. Trying to find ways in which his son can feel pleasure. From searching on the internet and trying the methods on himself first then shows his son how to do it. Its not the type of show you would want your father to teach you. This man slowly starts to lose it because of his son's problems are because of him.
Finally we have the son (Seo Young-joo) who appears to be the least messed up member of the family(at first). Sadly the son has an obsession with the woman his father is cheating. He often goes by her store so much that the woman knowing who he is starts to expose herself to him. Sadly, the boy can not get sexually aroused even though he wants to. As in a weird way he has fallen in love with the woman and is crushed that he can't have sex with her. The only reaction he can get from his body is when he sees his mother. Even against his wishes his body reacts in a strange manner once his mother re-enters the home....
The mistress (Lee Eun-woo) is revealed to be the least messed up person in the film. She has an affair with the son's father, she flashes the son, she gets raped, and she even tries to kill a man. Despite all that, it doesn't hold a candle to what happens to the rest of the charactesrs. Though I believe she suffers a lot more than the other characters, it is just that she is a stronger person than everyone else. She is beautiful but she also lives alone which can cause some trouble especially when a bunch of thugs decide to shop at her store. She wants to engage in a relationship with the son, she even tries to help him with his sexual problems but in the end she is left crying.
Like I stated before, this is one of the most f*cked up movies I have ever seen. I didn't even reveal that this is a silent movie! All you can hear are the noises of life and the music. There is slight incest, a lot of nudity, strange sexual acts, fetishes, and a lot of other things.
This is the kind of movie you would would late at night by yourself. You don't want children present or your grandparents.
I do like the movie, it is the kind of things I would expect from Kim Ki-duk. His direction was very good, all of his actors could express themselves quite well. It was a wonder to see how they used their body's to act even sometimes only using their eyes. The film also kept my interest which is hard to do at times. Once I started I had to finish the movie. I love how natural the filmed looked and how there wasn't a whole lot of edits which helped the film achieve a kind of realism.
I have to give a loud applause to Lee Eun-woo who played two vastly different characters in the film and she did them quite good. It was a pleasure to see her perform. It was nice to see Cho Jae-hyun as his understands what the director wants (since he has worked with the director quite a bit).
Cast
Lee Eun-woo
Also Appeared In:
Kabukicho Love Hotel
Godsend
The Spy: Undercover Agent
Romantic Heaven
Twilight Gangsters
Cho Jae-hyun
Also Appeared In:
The Isle
Bad Guy
Love, So Divine
The Fatal Encounter
Seo Young-joo
Also Appeared In:
A Frozen Flower
The Thieves
Dramas:
Hero
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