I absolutely loved this movie and gave it 8 out of 10. However - what was with the puppy? She shot it, right? Did no one else notice she shot it right in front of the schoolhouse?? Blood on white snow?
I honestly wish that scene had been cut. It didn't add anything but me wondering how she could do such an awful thing when she was trying to redeem herself to her daughter.
They're coming to get you, Barbara!
this scene is supposed to be difficult, not only for the viewer, but for geumja. as much as it's unfair and hard to watch, the message behind this scene is very important to the main objective for lady vengeance as she plans to murder a human being. although she kills the witch, it is not as direct and traumatizing as the process took a while, and she was not directly inflicting the pain, but was merely the driver for the cause of death. besides, killing the witch was more of a side-project whereas killing baek is the ultimate accomplishment for geumja. she wants to make damn sure that she executes the kill perfectly, and she doesn't want her conscience to come into play. by shooting the dog, she knows she has it in her heart to shoot the man that she sought out to kill.
shareWhat absolute tosh. The scene was gratuitous and brought nothing to the story. It didn't move the plot along and if it had been left on the cutting room floor where it belongs, the film would still flow just fine. You can't polish a turd.
If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions.
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Her daughter was a cat lover, so she probably was glad that she killed the puppy. I know I was.
shareDisclaimer: I am not vegan, vegitarian or particularily an animal lover (or hater infact) I have cats and I keep fish.
The scene disturbed me as a human being. I found it upsetting that she killed the dog. I understand why she did it, she needed to try out the gun and as dogs are not considered pets in Korea (here we test things on animals all the time btw, look at the dogs that have chunks of flesh cut from them to see how quickly they'd recover on certain dog food brands, sick isn't it? it's also real life while this is JUST a movie) it meant nothing to her compared to the 5 children that she would be getting justice for (even if it is a skewed sense of justice). Not once was it gratuitous. There was no glorification of violence against animals or violence in general.
I make no apology for not feeling sorry for the dog as much as I felt dispair for the families of the FIVE six year old children that were murdered for financial gain. If you really are more upset by a puppy than you are for a six year old girl who was murdered then what does that make you?
thank you, stargazer. my sentiments, exactly.
and as for jenny, their relationship was doomed from the beginning. yea, she killed a dog she bought for her. she also put her in a car and a room with a child killer.
This is not the greatest signature in the world. This is just a tribute.
- everything teenasung said - (also, she dreamt of Baek as a dog.)
shareI find it funny that in a movie about 5 kids being brutally killed, people are more offended by the dog shooting.
shareThere isn't a dichotomy between "animal lover/child hater" and vice versa. I personally find it extremely difficult to watch dogs and horses being tortured or killed in film. I also have a problem watching toddlers hurt (my beloved niece is currently two), although I can maintain more of a boundary with younger/older children. Children being murdered is obviously upsetting, but it's part of the narrative. When it happens to certain types of animals, I find those boundaries get blurred a bit, particularly in foreign (to me) cinema. I love South Korean and Japanese movies, but animals are still really misused on camera there. Ji-Woon Kim is one of my favorite directors, and I recently found out a movie of his that I own had horses being tripped (for real) on screen. This movie is only a few years old and was a blockbuster. I mean no offense by that, because plenty of animals are horribly maltreated in the US too, but it's illegal here and generally frowned upon if it occurs on camera. The rules are different in Asia, although it seems they are changing. So, while I don't think this particular puppy was in any way hurt during the filming of this particular movie, it makes me think of others that were. I had a visceral reaction to the scene, perhaps more than what was intended by the filmmaker. It's hard for me to watch, and on subsequent viewings I skipped the scene. That doesn't mean I support child murderers and enjoy the torture of human beings. Why does everyone jump to the conclusion that if you don't like watching animals hurt on screen, you must be some sort of misanthrope?
They're coming to get you, Barbara!
One of the characters in that same movie also wears a dog pelt on his back :) It's hilarious.
sharewtf do you mean dogs are not considered pets in Korea. Where the *beep* did you get that idea? You probably just assumed that because some people in Korea eat dog, didn't you? Such an ignorant and racist statement man. Go say that in front of any Korean guy and see how they react. I'm a Korean and I was disturbed by the dog-killing scene too, because it was "meant to be disturbing". Just because one Korean director decided to show a protagonist kill a dog to portray her character and emotions behind her vengeance, you can't judge the whole culture based on a *beep* movie scene.
shareI have no idea how the average Korean would view the scene. But I thought most 'westerners' wouldn't have liked it.
Yes dogs are eaten (usually a certain breed - not that type), but many South Koreans are against it and a growing number have them as pets. I have no idea if there is a type of 'caste' system there when it comes to dogs and whether they are respected or served as food though.
I didn't like the scene and thus any sympathy/empathy for her vanished after murdering the puppy. I wouldn't have cared had she met her demise at the end.
laughed so hard at this scene, but then l was wacked.
I say karate pencil case and put it on tape
children were murdered and you're upset about a dead puppy?
shareExactly. The child murders were SO much more horrific. I think some people are more shocked because in Western cinema, dogs are always associated with the hero and are never killed.
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She was an accomplice to child murder. Killing a dog is taking things too far? It's almost as bad as mass child murderer? Are you serious? I hope you're some PETA freak or you're a serious hypocrite. What if she killed a skunk or a crow? Or do only cute puppies get holy status?
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Actually she did plan on killing that guy until the last second. She nearly did it but changed her mind at the last second when she had him tied up in that schoolhouse.
She then got the idea to tell that (former?) investigator and allow the parents and relatives of the children that she murdered have their justice or have brutal revenge.
And she did use the gun to kill other people.
There's a scene before Gumja cuts off her fingers where Gumja is killing a dog with the main villain's face in her dream while she prays. So in the simplest sense the dog = the villain in Gumja's mind.
So why is it a dog/puppy?
Important thing to note in Korean culture is that for some reason, there are a lot of swears associated with the word 'dog' in Korean. Literally if you put the word 'dog' in front of any Korean word, it becomes a swearing phrase (much like *beep* and *beep* in English).
It would not suit in the 'Korean sense' to kill a cat for that reason.
Hopefully this explains.
OH! I never looked at it that way and I didn't know that about Korean culture. Thank you for explaining.
I was still upset by the scene - I've seen the movie a few times after I posted this thread, and I always skip it. I wish the violence has been implied rather than explicit. Obviously not everyone has the same sort of visceral reaction, but after volunteering at an animal shelter for a year I see things like this happen in real life, and the perpetrators tend to get a slap on the wrist. But knowing there was a significance to it being a dog makes it feel less gratuitous to me.
They're coming to get you, Barbara!
Thanks for that good input. I had forgotten about that dream scene. It does give more logic to the killing the dog scene, especially in her mind.
shareOh come on. They didn't actually shoot the dog. Although... with the time passed. He's probably dead by now. Thank for making me sad. Douche.
shareI could have done without the spoiler. This post shows in the front page.
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It's a two hour movie and some things happen in it. It shows part of this scene in the trailer. If you figure out a way to discuss a movie online without divulging a single plot point, piece of dialogue, or scene, please let the rest of us know.
They're coming to get you, Barbara!
He could. But I think he enjoy effing around with western sentimentality,like the rest of the world.
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