Underated

I am not a poet so words fail me completely. The movie was so quietly yet evocatively drawn, it wasn't until the very end of the movie that I was almost doubled over sobbing. Underated to say the least. And yet, not one scene felt over-done or out of place.

Powerful.




Oh Jerry, why wish for the moon when we have the stars?

I cannot wait to see this film. Thus far, the "alternative" papers that I have read, have given this little gem high marks.

The more Ken Loach films I see, the more I think they need English subtitles.

It wasn't the greatest Korean movie I've ever seen, I found it a bit overly long to be honest. That said the main actress gave one of the best performances ever, the ending was better than I ever anticipated and it was well-directed.

I think I would benefit from a second viewing to really soak in all the emotion the movie offers.

This is a wonderful movie. At times, it did seem a bit overlong yet I couldn't resist sticking with it and I am so glad I did. Months later, I am still recalling it at random moments.

I recommend it highly to anyone who likes truly thoughtful and lyrical dramas.

"The night was sultry."

i couldn't agree more

This was the 47th film from 2011 (in terms of American release) that I've seen so far -- there's another 35 or so that I plan to see or rent. I started out thinking that it was quite good and would end up ranking about 30th of the 47 ... then, as we moved into the second act, that it would make the top 20.

What I didn't know as I watched it is that it's one of those films that has a perfect ending -- one that it has building to inevitably without telegraphing and yet without invoking any kind of "twist." There are films you want to watch again immediately in order just to make sense of the plot (The Prestige, e.g.). It's much rarer to want to watch a movie again immediately to fully grasp and empathize with the character emotions and motivations, which only become clear (perhaps even to the characters) at the end.

I haven't ranked it quite yet but it's going to be somewhere between 5th and 8th of the films I've seen so far. 10/10.

Prepare your minds for a new scale of physical, scientific values, gentlemen.

Agreed. Still very underrated. It didn't make it on nearly as many end-of-year lists as it should've. Personally it was the best film of 2010, but even if most critics didn't agree with that, who wouldn't put it on their top 10 at least? I'm glad that the director is gradually becoming better known (especially after Criterion released one of his films), but I feel like he still doesn't draw the audience he should. And I mean critical audience. Only 59 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, when other foreign dramas like A Separation easily reach 75-100+ reviews.

Enough ranting though. If he keeps making masterpieces like this, the attention will come.

One of my favorite things about it that non-Korean speakers will miss is that the screenplay itself is poetry. You simply can't get the full grasp of the dialogue from the subtitles. If you know Korean you can tell that the script is one of the most beautiful ever written. In that way, the title of the film is quite literal. It isn't just the few poems recited throughout, but really the whole thing.