Okay, this movie was GREAT, but the ending left me thinking WTF?!
What was with the ending? Why the heck did he swerve off the road and hit the tree? And why did he just grope the other guy when the police officer came? It was so random. O_.
I really didn't get it. The whole attempt to kill him hurt the movie, in my opinion, because it didn't make much sense.
I didn't really get the ending either, but think he didn't purposely swerve off the road. He was looking at the guy in the back, and I think just not paying attention.
shareThe first time I watched this movie, I was thrown by the way it lurched into violence in the last quarter. It didn't seem conceivable to me that Su-Min would do the things he did. But watching it a second time, I realized that hints as to what is going to happen *are* there in the film (take note of what the co-kidnapper keeps saying to Su-Min before they abduct Jae-Min, eg, about what should happen to "vampires"), but that more importantly Su-Min's actions (though horrible) make sense given the state that he's in at the time. He's quit his job for Jae-Min, he's basically given himself (heart and soul) to this guy after all his instincts told him that their relationship could never work, and then he's been betrayed in a cruel & cowardly way by Jae-Min. On top of that, he's just lost his friend Ga-Ram.
The swerving off the road was an accident. Having been knocked out earlier, Jae-Min wasn't exactly in the right state to be driving, anyway! The groping in front of the cop was Jae-Min's way of saying that he didn't care anymore about people knowing that he was gay. It was also his way of showing that he forgave Su-Min.
well said
shareThe movie went well, but I am very disappointed with the ending. How coud Sumin plot to kill Jae-Min? It was out of character. Sumin wasn't obsessive character. Perhaps, JaeMin, yes. He was suicidal and obsessive. And what's the accident at the end? It was unnecessary. And what's the touching of the crotch at the ending? Ok, it connects with an earlier situation where they promise each other that when they wake up in the morning and have a hard on, they promise to think of each other. But come on, it is cheap ending. The movie loses a bit of dignity here.
To foreigners, you have to understand that the hallmark of Korean movies is always a tragic ending. They always kill the lead. There is no happy ending in Korean movies. It always is a tear jerker. But this one seems like the director just didn't know how to end it, and struggled to find that tragic ending. From a love story and drama that was engaging at the beginning, it quickly degraded into a horror/suspense plot that was unbelievable, out of character, and certainly not the ending that was going to deliver a nice message to audience about forbidden love. The message I get is: becareful about having an affair with Korean men, they are crazy!
The spiral into this dark tragic ending was such a cold contrast from the first hour and thirty minutes. I kept thinking why would Su-min do that? It was so out of character for him. I get being hurt, but it's not him.
As for the crotch grab at the end, I figured Jae-Min did it on purpose. Imagine being a business couple, known, in politics(his folks mentioned backing some Republcans) and owning a business. Next thing you know your son's in the headlines for being found in a car covered in blood with his male lover. I thought Jae-min figured it would get out and seized the opportunity to give a big middle finger his parents. I could be wrong, but that how I saw it.
The Ending was a bit off( to me that is), but an amazing film none the less.
Personally, I think it might have been to serve as an alibi for the both of them bleeding from the head.
But I too find the violent turn at the end a bit out of character. And how do you forgive someone for plotting to kill you?
The ending was a bit of a mess...I'm still wondering what happened to the third guy.
The first time I saw it in theatre, I didn't understand why the crash happened, but I figured it was because 1) Jae-min got distracted by Su-min (turning his head around) and 2) because it was snowing, the roads may have been icy and he lost control -- maybe a combination of both?
I interpreted Jae-min grabbing Su-min's crotch in the end as a way of telling him he still loves Su-min. They both had talked earlier about how, when they woke up hard in the morning, they thought about each other. After both of their near-death experiences the night before, we are never shown if they talk to each other about what went on ("I left that woman I was supposed to marry", "I did it because you broke my heart", etc.); no sort of reconciliation. So when Su-min cries when Jae-min gropes him, he's not only glad to be alive, but that his lover still wants him.
At least that's what I got from it.
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SPOILER WARNING!
Yeah it's what I got too.
Earlier in the film, when Jae-min was supposed to be sleeping, Su-min was whispering things into his ear in a parody of subliminal conditioning. One of the things was "when you wake up with a hard ****, you'll think of me first".
And that's exactly what Jae-min did when he woke up in the car. So yeah, Jae-min was basically saying "nothing's changed". As well as a sign of "I don't care who knows we're gay".
The part near the ending was really violent though. It's one of my worst fears - being buried alive, good thing Su-min came to his senses. I realize he was pushed to it by what happened to him recently. He didn't think clearly.
Actually, I think Jae-min did crash onto the tree purposely to get back at Sumin for Sumin's betrayal. Probably knew they wouldn't die though. The events leading up to the ending kind of mirrored the things that happened before they really got together (seduction by jae-min, jae-min getting hurt, jae-min carried by sumin, jae-min groped by sumin-- versus-- seduction by sumin, sumin getting hurt, sumin carried by jae-min, and sumin groped by jae-min). An original ending, but pretty weird...
shareWatching this last night, I thought he could have hit the tree on purpose (maybe he was thinking ahead and that could explain why they were both injured) or it could have been an accident. The crotch grab at the end, I actually felt like it referred to the earlier incident, too. The night that Sumin really started to care about Jae-Min, he carried him injured back to his apt., tended to his wounds, then laid his hand on his crotch. That was the beginning of his love for him, the start of their relatioship. SO, I think that Jae-Min was essentially saying that he loved him, and that this was going to be their "new start". I loved the movie. It was beautfiul to watch, the acting was great.
"We cannot tear out a single page of our lives, but we can throw the whole book into the fire."
The dark turn and especially the ending make a lot more sense with a better understanding of Korean culture.
The ending is particularly effective because that one seemingly minor gesture alone will upend the lives of a whole slew of people, and not just Jaemin's or those of people near Jaemin. It is indeed an ultimately selfish act of the sort his fiance rebuked him for.
Unlike what someone else suggested, it isn't some immature, rebellious gesture aimed at his parents. Instead, it is a positive declaration, an affirmative gesture. Jaemin chooses his desire, the entirety of his self, and Sumin over the role he has been expected to fulfill. He's risking giving up everything he's known, including his place in society, and facing a very uncertain future. I don't know how anyone who's not familiar with Korean culture could understand the magnitude of that gesture's consequences.
Explaining the dark turn requires a lot more space and energy. Some of its opacity can be blamed on the quality of the subtitles. However, much of the opacity is due to cultural differences. I recommend that you revisit the film and, though difficult, try to see it from within its own logic.
In the past week, I must have watched this film at least 5 times... with many different subtitles, in Korean only with no subtitles, etc. I can't get it out of my system. All I could think was, "This is not my mommy and daddy's Korea..." Just so astounded by this film and the courage required to make it.
I didn't understand the ending but it was because how did they get in the car and start driving in the first place? The guy who left the burial site in the woods didn't take it?
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