Too much of everything

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Yet another soul draining experience where I'm left thinking "no wonder I have no emotions, films just drain them til I have none left". I mean this was powerful without the story being overly heavy handed, an impressive directorial debut from Lee Su Jin. Based on a sexual violence case in 2004, a young girl seemingly attempts to blend in when she transfers to a new school. Unfortunately though, her harrowing past catches up as she struggles to flee from it. It's no spoiler, it's been well documented and is in the synopsis, that the sexual assault was a horrific gang rape. That's not the purpose of this film. This is purely a character study on a psychologically and emotionally damaged girl who has been the victim of a disgusting crime. The sexual scenes were heartbreaking. To see someone go through that is not an easy watch, and is clear why this was an independent film. Any big production studio would've exploited this story and toned down the graphic nature. But it's required. It's a powerful visceral image that enhances the pain and suffering Han Gong-Ju is going through. This is a very intimate and personal character study. Her development as you see her slowly blossom and crawl out of this dark nightmare that is overshadowing her is perfection. Instantly you connect with her. You know from the first few scenes that something has happened to her to cause all of this grief. Chun Woohee gives an understated and nuanced performance, she is able to capture the fragility and tenderness of her character beautifully. The pacing occasionally feels sluggish, but it's dealing with an important subject so I appreciated the fact it took its time. The ending was slightly ambiguous, yet I was still gobsmacked. Han Gong-Ju is yet another brilliant addition to Asian cinema. I would only recommend if you are into serious mature dramas, some scenes will cause discomfort and distress...trust me!

What I like about this film is that it's nothing like the pop culture k-dramas, though its publicity should be on their level. There are no pretty boys who throw their swooping hair out of their faces before glaring what's meant to be seductively, nor any who powder their faces, and no scantily clad young women bouncing around with brown hair dye in the latest clothing and high heels throughout a ridiculous plot centering around their high school crush. There's no pop music to keep you energized. Though this film could've used a little energy. A film with promise slowly but eventually showed me not even halfway through that this was gonna be a long, dry sit leading to nowhere. I'm not saying this movie had to be some kind of torture porn. That's what Japan is good at, and not in a bad way do I say this. But not even Korea's most popular "thrillers" like ...*sigh* "Oldboy" and "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" or whatever it's called, are all that thrilling. Both of those films stood behind the line and never crossed it nor approached it, yet they are strangely upheld as disturbing masterpieces. Ha. The story that inspired this film is far more interesting, though it's not supposed to be. Teenagers get bullied and tortured and extorted by a gang and their friends over a long course of time, and no one helps them, it is said. People say it is based on a particular 2004 incident though this film was made 10 years later. I think it's negligent to say it is based exclusively on a case so long ago, as if many similar cases in Korea have not happened since then, regardless of the film crew's inspiration.This film, however, doesn't really respect this situation that allegedly inspired the movie itself, strangely. The movie is about 110 minutes, and I'd like to say 80 of those total were based nothing on the incident. It just silently followed the actress around at school, at work, at her new home, at swimming lessons, writing songs, and remembering stuff. All the while I'm thinking it's going to lead to this big reveal that was promised. There was none. It seems what the film did was: film the flashbacks first. Then film her in her new life, where she starts over at a new school and in a new place to stay. And then in the editing room, they just ripped these scenes apart and then lazily strung them together in a loose pattern of flashbacks and current life. This is poorly done and gradually detaches you from the main character and eventually the film and the storyline. And I can imagine that's not any film's goal. But as this film is a sensitive subject, I can see if this was an intentional tactic to try and not upset anyone too much as real lives are involved. However, all of that aside, it does make the film seem pointless. And I want 112 minutes of my life back. If you want to see an exciting film about rape revenge or dealing with the aftermath, and one out of Korea, then look at "Don't Cry, Mommy." This film more bravely and thrillingly takes you from the girl's life as a social, normal teen, to her tragedy, to her legal troubles with the perpetrators, to her emotional aftermath, to her mother's. It's amazing how they bunched all of that together in one film, and I believe it was shorter than this one (ok I just looked: Don't Cry Mommy is 90 minutes. That means 30 minutes shorter than this film. Yet way better and never straying from its purpose). It can be done.*Also, the ending of this film has serious nerve. This film didn't deserve an emotional response that its last scene tried to create. The compelling storyline should have been told better, especially if it took 10 years to tell it.

i could easily give this film an 8 or 8.5 stars higher rating, but two things simply made it impossible. but first of all, i have to say this is quite emotional movie about the atrocity a teenage girl could ever face or deal with. a very sad story lack of any humanity in it. human beings are indeed the worst species this planet earth could do without, men and women, how heartless they could be, how senseless they could do, to a teenage girl. the loneliness that this main character suffered and had to deal with were simply beyond any word may be able to describe.i have to praise the young actor who played Han Gong Ju, a sometimes plain, sometimes ugly, but most of the time looked beautiful young woman, depending how the camera's angles. i rarely saw a young actor could give such subtle performance by using her body language and expressions to show the gradual transformation of her mood under different conditions without any pretentiousness and exaggeration. a very talented natural young actor indeed.the subject of the screenplay was also well scripted with deep feelings of helplessness and cruelty. if the casting job could do better and the editing could be more clearer, then this film could be on par with "oldboy", but it didn't.first, about the casting: why hired two almost similar look alike female actors to play the young girl's mother and the teacher's mother? we know that almost 99% of the Korean women are having their faces(or even their body parts) fixed up by plastic surgery. so these two mature women sometimes were very difficult to identify who's who. they all looked alike, thus caused a lot of confusion in this film.secondly, about the editing: the past and the present, the flashbacks, the connection, the transferring from the past to the present...were so carelessly arranged and edited. thus also caused so many confusions during watch. some of the flashbacks were so abrupt and so clueless until viewers realized they were the past instead of the present tense.other than these two shortcomings, i have no other complaints against this little gem.

Han Gong Ju is a young school girl who is suddenly up rooted from her home and taken to a new district to live and attend a new school. All we know is that there has been 'a scandal' at her old school and that she was directly involved. Her school teacher takes her to live with his mother - who runs a little supermarket.Han Gong Ju then tries to rebuild a life devoid of the past, but her curious detachment acts as a lure for some of her new class mates and try as she might the past always has a strange way of catching up with us.This is probably a slow burner, but the direction and pacing make it feel more immediate than it actually is. The performances are all sufficiently nuanced to keep one guessing as to what really happened and as such the past is done in a slow reveal through flash backs. The back story could have been fleshed out better but once gain we have enough hints and subtle asides that help put all the pieces together. This is one where your full attention is required, but that is quite easy as it is very gripping. Another great piece of cinema from South Korea.