MovieChat Forums > Sei mong se jun (2004) Discussion > so many things about this film are odd.....

so many things about this film are odd...

posted 18 years ago by ThrownMuse
9 replies | jump to latest

And here's just one of them. This is one of the first Asian horror films to make something of an attempt to depict a queer relationship. It threw me off because I realized I have never seen this happen in an Asian horror yet.

But, according to IMDb...the two lead actresses are sisters! I didn't know--they don't look alike at all. How very peculiar. Did I interpret the lead relationship incorrectly? While they were never particularly intimate, the subtitles led me to believe that the two high school girls were in love.

Two step behind the rest, one fingertip too long

[–] MoonStoneDia 18 years ago

The actresses were probably sisters (My sister and I look nothing alike either) but the characters were deffinately in a relationship.

[–] emmyvm 18 years ago

Yes the characters were in a relationship. I'm sure Chinese culture makes intimacy a little bit different, especially homosexual ones, but they were definitely in love.

[–] chessclubgroupi5 18 years ago

Some cultures are not PDA oriented and I think that most Asian cultures belong in that category. I haven't seen any Asian movies really that have had a couple be all up on each other in public, however the couple in this movie had many scenes where they were alone and they still weren't all over each other. This is probably a good thing, because some people think that this movie is exploitive and violent twords women (I'm not one of these people) and they would definitly think the movie was exploitative if it had two beautiful lesbians make out. It also makes the relationship between the two characters seem deeper, as they didn't seem to rely on physical pleasure to love each other.

"Snakes on a Plane", just the title would make Dr. Seuss orgasm 12 times.

[–] gattocinese 17 years ago

It's still strange that (even in a Chinese setting) during a crisis, the girlfriend sleeps overnight, and they're in bed together without holding each other, nor expressing any comfort. It's almost as if there's a sibling seperator of the type parents buy for long car rides.

[–] evilbastard9 17 years ago

Jeni and Jas were the Asian equivalent of the Simpson's Lenny and Carl. They are both a couple. They don't have to show the relationship, but everyone knows it's there.

[–] strahd9 16 years ago

I was wondering that myself. I was thinking I was picking up a relationship between them. But it wasn't over the top and at one point Jiney was calling her folks Aunt and Uncle in the subtitles (tho it could be since they have been friends for awhile or whatnot).

And while the title of this is many things odd, one of the odd things I thought was the music blaring in alot. Some of the music was good, don't get me wrong. But there was times it just overwhelmed the scenes.

Also I found Jiney very hard to sympathize for and like. Maybe because I'm a hippie vegetarian, but her getting off on the chick kills really bummed me out and turned me off to her plight. Sure she had some horrible things happen to her, but she was more than morbidly curious about how humans and animals died (one could say even suffered).

Thankfully some of the posts have warmed me up to the ending alittle bit.

drew

Cid Highwind: This is Man Talk.
-FF Advent Childeren

[–] tennisplaya45 16 years ago

I noticed the Aunt and Uncle thing as well but honestly I don't think the movie was translated very well. Did anyone noticed in the bookstore how the total came on the screen as 1,250 and the subtitles said dollars. It then proceeded to say if she joined the book club she'd get a 100% discount. I suppose the discount part could just be a typo or something (is that how sub-titles work) but there were other really awkward instances in the film that made me believe the translation wasn't as good as it should have been. I suppose I'm still left wondering about the two girls' relationship though. Maybe it would just supposed to be an extremely deep-seeded friendship. Maybe that's how friendships in their culture are.

[–] GermanDragon 16 years ago

What I got from it, was that they were in a relationship. Jas, I thought definitely came off as a lesbian, while Jiny may have been bisexual. She states that she will never like guys, but I think that is more due to her traumatic experience than sexual attraction. There seemed to have been something between her and Anson that she was refusing to accept.

[–] Blon_DeWig 15 years ago

I def. think Jas had it for Jiney although it's never explicity explained anywhere how exactly Jiney feels. Jas was definitely overly jealous of Jine's friendship with Anson and flat out tells her to stop seeing him. At least according to the subtitles. lol At one point Jas does say she loves Jiney but I can't remember if Jiney says it back. Of course there are many different types of love, it could have been a sisterly or friendship type love, but those don't typically manifest themselves into jealousy of the type Jas was displaying, and Jas did even say "Love is selfish!" during her tirade.

Stay. Out. Of. My. Territory.