for those who thought they are lesbian please read mattysid's review
Great Insight into Korean society, 3 May 2005
Author: mattysid from United Kingdom
They're not lesbians. It's common for people in public baths to see each other completely naked and to wash each other. As for the kissing, I didn't think it meant anything other than grave concern, given the context of the story.
shareI think as teenagers, girls have a love for their best friends that borderlines lesbian, but it isn't. It's just deep admiration.
Nina
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Exactly. Thank you. I'm so sick and tired of heterosexists (especially some chauvinistic, western, probably white expat) going to great lengths to deny the existence of any homoeroticism, even when it's as ridiculously obvious as in the scene you mentioned. Perhaps it's because the physical manifestation of Yeo Jin's love for Jae Young wasn't dwelled upon in a way that many westerners would expect lesbianism to be treated.
| Fools rush in--and get all the best seats. |
I don't think it's really as simple as that.
I'm all for homoeroticism in movies and real life, but I don't think it makes any more sense to jump on every moment of closeness between people of the same sex as homoeroticism than it does to deny it despite overwhelming evidence.
The girls in this movie are Freshman in highschool. They're at an age when most girls are extremely close to one another. If you're unfamiliar with the goings-on of young girls, it would be easy to see their behavior as some kind of lesbian attraction, but I'm not sure that was the intent. I'm not denying that it's a possibility, but I simply don't think that there's enough in the film to really say. Yes, she says that it upsets her to have the men touching her friend. On the other hand, she thinks that these men are absolute scum, and this is her best friend. When I was 13, I'd have been pretty upset about my closest friend prostituting herself, too. The fact remains that, while they embrace and take baths together (something that is not at all uncommon, by the way) Jae-yeong does indicate that she has feelings for the men, and enjoys sex with them.
Quite frankly, I don't see that their sexual orientation matters at all in this film. It seems rather irrelevent, to me.
I wondered about what the nature of the relationship between the girls was as well when I first watched this movie. While the bath-house scene does seem to imply lesbianism to a western mind, I wasn't sure if the same would apply in Korea. However, I think that this is a case of "it's there if you want it to be." I personally don't think their relationship was romantic or sexual in any way. However, if it makes the movie better for you, it is perfectly reasonable to believe that they are. A very classy approach in my opinion.
shareHi, Samaria is about to come on Sundance channel (I'm recording it!) and just wanted to ask one whose seen it : What is the significance of the cover box with the girl in the nun outfit? Are they 'convent girls'? Just wondering if this was a "Korean nunspoitaion" film!
Thanks -
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the nun costume is more of an ironic thing, because nun's represent innocence and purity...i don't wanna go into detail about it, not wanting to risk spoiling the movie....after the movie, you should have a better understanding of it.
shareIt was on again last night, good movie.
shareThis is an issue of cultural differences.
In the Korean culture, young girls (and boys) are more affectionate and open in their interaction with other friends. Keep an open mind with respect to cultural differences before you delve straight into homosexual implications or that the heterosexists are out to get you.
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I don't think they have a lesbian relation, but I do think the 'pimp' girl is in love with the 'prostitute' girl. That would explain her behaviour towards the girls clients, the fact they want to run away together and her elaborate effort to try and cleanse her consciouss/undo her deeds..
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