I'm a Cyborg, but that's OK

I’m a Cyborg, but that’s OK
Original title: Saibogujiman kwenchana
Directed by: Chan-wook Park
South Korea, 2006
Comedy/Romance/Drama, 105min
Distributed by: Noble Entertainment.

I’ve always enjoyed Asian cinema as they frequently seem to act as refreshment within the genres that have grown cold, bringing inspirational new approaches to stuff with them. Or when old same same gets tedious, their contemporary scene is often full of high-speed pulse just waiting for us to discover it and their legacy. The Action flicks of the eighties found new fan with the ballet bullet’s of John Woo, the horror genre which was refuelled by the movies of the J-Horror genre and Takashi Miikes extreme blends of the two genres. Needless to say after being a long time fan of Japanese and Hong-Kong flicks, I was profoundly enthusiastic when the South Korean genre pieces also started to get some recognition, and became more accessible to fans of alternative cinema. And what an amazing treasure of contemporary filmmaking they brought with them.

You don’t need to be a brain surgeon to understand that among the exciting directors that where brought forth, I found myself attracted to the movies of Kim Ki-duk and perhaps the most to Chan-wook Park.

Park has time and time again proven that he is an extremely talented director, with knowledge of complex storytelling, dark subject matters, twisted storylines, and stunning visuals –and if you know this blog, and me you know that I’m a sucker for great visual compositions.

So I was obviously curious to sit down and see his take on the so-called rom-com genre before I set my sights on the vampire drama Thirst 2009.

I’m a Cyborg, but that’s OK tells the story of two young kids who both are living in a mental institute for separate reasons. Cha young-goon [Su-jeong Lim - Ji-woon Kim’s A Tale of Two Sisters 2003] is a teenage girl who is institutionalised after she slits her wrists, jams electrical wires in her veins, and plugs herself into the socket during her work at the radio assembly line. We soon learn that Young-goon also cracked when her beloved grandmother also was sent to an asylum because she thought she was a rabbit, and this separation ignited Young-goons idea that she may in fact be a Cyborg. Inside the asylum she meets a whole bunch of other characters, where Park Il-sun [Rain also seen in James McTiegue’s Ninja Assassin 2009, find out what that one's like at Ninja Dixon's excellent place.] soon captures her attention, and she his…

Il-Sun has a knack for stealing the other inmates “traits”, and more than often it’s traits that they are institutionalised for to start with. Young-goon, who thinks that she’s a Cyborg, is intent on taking revenge on the “white coats” as they represent the people that took her grandmother away. But her sense of pity inhibits her from claiming that vengeance. This is obviously where Il-sun comes into the picture, and after Young-goon persistently begs him to steal her pity he helps her out enabling the Cyborg within to step forth and complete her task…

I’m a Cyborg, but that OK is indeed a movie that could be called a rom-com, but make damned sure to keep in mind that it’s not a retarded one like many of the ones made by Hollywood studio’s, but instead an intelligent one that brings in serious drama along with the warm humour instead of going for laughs through cheap gags. It’s a great movie and definitely feels very much a part of the Park universe, as it uses the familiar Park traits that almost every one of his movies uses; loneliness, sadness and loss. Almost all his movies have used these themes as key ingredients, and even so I’m a Cyborg, but that’s OK.

Both Young-goon and Il-sun have lost that which is closest to them in life. She her grandmother, he his birthmother. And it’s this loss that brings them towards each other through out the narrative. It’s also this loss that is resolved as the two of them finally connect at the very last scene of the movie. A friend who I mentioned that I was finally going to watch the movie too said that they had seen it and that it was a bad movie as it didn’t have a real ending. It just finishes abruptly. Well I’ll of write that off as ignorance and lack of understanding movies, as the movie certainly does come to an end. There is no more storyline to follow. Their paths have crossed, and finally joined. They have found their replacement for the persons they where missing throughout the movie. We have no need to see what happened to Il-sun and Young-goon do in the near future, as they obviously have found each other. Their search is over and they won’t ever be lonely again.

The acting is excellent, and both Su-jeong Lim and Rain give stunning performances as the two frail characters., and both received a number of awards for their portrayals. Park does some fantastic stuff within the narrative as he uses the patients mental illness to create some amazing scenes, Rain’s theft of others traits, Young-goon’s Cyborg shootouts, and her constant lack of power that has her licking batteries is excellent, and it’s all portrayed delicately and tenderly. It’s a wonderful ride, that definitely shows that Park can handle themes of serious manner within his trait sphere and at the same time bring a humorous tone to the same sphere creating a completely different kind of film than we are used to seeing him present.

Colour schemes and contrast always play an important part in Park’s movies, in I’m A Cyborg, but that’s OK it’s the bright pastels tones that are set as contrasts to the bleak beige and khaki of the institution. There’s always something about the colours of his films that stand out and the movies look absolutely stunning. Chung-hoon Chung’s cinematography for the four films and one short [Old Boy 2003, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance 2005, I’m a Cyborg, but that’s OK 2006, Thirst 2009 and CUT, one third of Three Extremes 2004] are excellent pieces of art which also bring added value to watching a Park film. Not only are they terrific story wise, they also have beautiful cinematography and compositions. Written together with Seo-Gyeong Jeong, just like Lady Vengeance, and Thirst, there’s a more positive one working it’s way into the movies of Park. Sure all three movies have some pretty dark moments and themes, but there not as nihilistic as the brutal Sympathy for Mr Vengeance 2002, or the cynicism and punch in the face of Old Boy – which still is a really fucking awesome movie. It’s an interesting collaboration that leaves me wanting to see more from Park and Jeong. Their collaboration on I’m a Cyborg, but that’s OK won them the award for best screenplay at the 2007 Sitges Film Festival, and I’m quite positive that it won’t be the last award these two share.

There’s one other item that ties all Chan-wook Park’s movies together, and it’s that there is always a Swedish connection or association in each movie. I have no clue at all to why, perhaps he has some association with this place, I don’t know, but there’s always a reference to the country in his movies. Strangely none of the Swedish journalists that have interviewed him have ever asked him about this, and I haven’t seen the topic discussed anywhere, but as a guy who’s been here for the past thirty years, I can see the references plain as day. Even Cyborg has these references, as Young-Goon hides in the clock in the hall and sings silent night, a song sung all day on Lucia, the 13th of December, each year in Sweden. With the other referents in mind I choose to see this as a clear Sweden signifier even if the song originates from Germany, if you have ever seen a Swedish Lucia celebration that is an impression that will stick with you. I’m quite convinced that there’s a connection somewhere in there and I’d love to ask him where and what… or if it’s just coincidence.

I’m a Cyborg, but that’s OK, is an amazing movie, warm, tender, gentle, but dark and sad at the same time. A must see for fans of Asian cinema that want to give something else a spin than the usual horror or action flicks.

Image:

Widescreen 1.78:1

Audio:

Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital dts, Korean dialogue with optional Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic or Finnish subtitles.

Extras:

Unfortunately there are none on this release.

Despite the awful, non movie representative music, here's the trailer for this great movie.

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
Original title: Chinjeolhan geumjassi
Directed by; Chan-wook Park, South Korea, 2005
Asian / Drama, 112 min
Distributed by: Panorama Distributions

Story: Thirteen years after being sentenced for the abduction and death of a child she didn't kill, Lee Geum-Ja [Yeong-ae Lee] is released from jail. Her mind is set on one thing only... to claim vengeance upon the real culprit, Mr. Baek [Min-sik Choi]. All her friends from jail are called upon as she goes after Mr. Baek to take her revenge.

Me:
Oh boy, does this movie pack a punch. I've had it on the DVD shelf since just after New Year, but I haven't really dared to watch it. Mostly due to the fact that I didn't want to be disappointed, I've read some pretty bad reviews of this movie. It's no surprise to anyone that find Park to be one of the most interesting directors to come out of Asia these last few years. So I was sort of worried as I stared to watch this movie, but my fears where unnecessary. This movie is awesome. It shifts between genres, very smoothly, blending drama with dark comedy. The tale of Gaum-Ja's tale of vengeance is told by an third party voice over, which I'm uncertain whom it belongs to, probably Geum-Ja's daughter. The story is a basic revenge tale, Geum-Ja who helped Mr Beak kidnap a child, had her own daughter kidnapped by him to force her to take the blame for the kidnapped child's death. So it's no wonder she wants revenge. Geum-Ja is brilliantly played by Yeong-ae Lee who also had the lead in Park's J.S.A. She's absolutely beautiful as the tormented Mrs. Vengeance. Park chooses a very intelligent way to tell us about Geum-Ja's time in jail, through flashbacks portraying her closest friends' time as incarcerated women. Geum-Ja is their smiling angel who helps them through the roughest of times, and foes. But now on the outside they all see how she has changed, she's now a woman with a vile plan for revenge. Mr Baek, portrayed by Min-sik Choi from the magnificent Old Boy, is totally different from his rather likeable Old Boy character. He's put on weight, show's no signs of compassion to anyone, be it his girlfriend, or the pre-school children the he teaches at work. And this is where the movie gets very dark. The road up to where Geum-Ja finds Baek, is rather fun and full of humorous twists. She find's her daughter, who has been adopted by an Australian couple, and takes her back to Korea, but not until they have had a booze up together. Secondary characters and Gaeum-Ja's time in prison is all told with a twinkle in the eye, but then she finds Baek. Upon finding him she starts to take her revenge, but when she realises that he's responsible for killing more than the child she was sentenced for her vengeance takes a drastic turn for the worse. Through a fiendish plan to let all the parents of the murdered children do as they please with Baek. To motivate them she shows them the video's Baek shot of their children before he murdered them, and this came as a complete shock. I was not prepared for this and it took me quite a while to get over the grainy, rough footage of the children. There's no onscreen violence, and the children are obviously actors, but it was quite rough to watch. Especially as I have a child of my own not far from the age of the children in the videos. Heavy stuff! So when the parents claim their vengeance it's almost as if I too wanted to take a swing at Baek. But I presume that Park had to make some drastic move to get the viewer past the sympathetic feelings that Min-sik evoked in Old Boy, not that Baek has been portrayed as an especially pleasant chap to start with, but the videos sure take care of any doubts.

I'm glad that I finally dared watch Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, it was worth the wait, it's a very, very good movie, and I'm sure that I will be returning to it soon. OK so it's the last part of the Vengeance trilogy, but to be honest, they don't have much to do with each other so you can actually just watch any part you want. If you still haven't seen a Chan-woon Park I'd advise you to start with Old Boy, and then if you want more check out Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, which are both very good movies, but have some very dark moments. Or if you just want a short, check out his segment Cut from Three Extremes. Like I keep saying, Chan-woon Park is a director that's here to impress, and impress he does.

I also have to take this opportunity to complain about the terrible Scandinavian cover art. If there are so many beautiful poster and original art works for this movie why the fuck do you make a cover with Kill Bill references? Pathetic is the only word that spontaneously springs to mind.

Image:
Anamorphic Widescreen. Traditional or Simplified Chinese and English subtitles are optional.

Audio:
Three options are given; Korean soundtrack 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo, 5.1 Dolby Digital, and dts.

Extras:
This edition being the first version released in Asia is very sparse with features. There is only a ten minute behind the scenes featurette and two trailers for the movie.

Joint Security Area (J.S.A.)

Joint Security Area (J.S.A.)
Original title: Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok JSA
Directed by; Chan-wook Park, 2000, South Korea
Drama / Mystery / Thriller, 110 min
Distributed by: Atlantic Film AB

Story:
In the de-militarized zone separating North and South Korea, two North Korean soldiers have been killed. The blame is on the South Korean side, but there is one mysterious question being asked... Why was there one shot more than accounted for? And where did it come from? A neutral Swiss Swedish team is sent in to investigate, and as they try dig deeper into the mystery an unexpected tale surfaces.

Me:
This is the kind of movie that really proves what all the fuss is about the South Korean new wave of cinema. (Although in my opinion at the end of 2005, it's pretty much over, but we have a new batch of talented directors to keep our eyes on Park especially as we await the DVD release of his "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" late December.) The start of the movie, the main exposition, is quite tedious, but as time goes by and the rather heart-warming "real" story underneath the main mystery is unveiled, I just got sucked right into it. The way Park builds up the story is really good, and there's no sudden unexpected and illogical plot twists that one comes to expect of Asian movies. This one tells its tale and sticks to it. The look of the film is great, nothing feels out of place, and the politics of the film, which obviously get somewhat lost on a European viewer, still manage to make an impression. The actors are brilliant, and several of them return in later Park movies. Kang-ho Song, Min-sik Choi, Byung-hun Lee and Ha-kyun Shin, all come back in leading roles later, and it's a joy to watch them work with Park. I probably wouldn't recommend this as an initial Park or South Korean film for anyone wanting to get into that field, but I'd definitely say it's worth checking out if you want to see something that's not mainstream Hollywood. If you like Asian movies and haven't seen it, or even if you've jumped on the Asian Horror wagon, this should be one of the movies on your list to see.

Chan-wook Park is going places, let’s just prey that he doesn't get on the obnoxious, "direct-a-American-horror-franchise" band wagon like too many other great Asian directors have. I'll return to that at a later date.

Image:
1.85:1 presented in anamorphic widescreen 16:9. English, Danish Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish subtitles.

Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1.

Extras:
This two disc set is packed with extras as the movie disc contains trailers for Park's JSA, Kim Ki-duk's Bad Guy & The Isle, Takashi Miike's Ichi the Killer, Cho Jin-Gyu's My wife is a gangster, Kim Sung-su's Musa (Princess of the desert) , Kang Je-gyu's Shiri, Kyung-Taek Kwak's Friend and Kim Young-jun's Bichunmoo. Also there are selected talent files for Chan Wook-Park, Kang-Ho Song, Byung-Heon Lee and Young-Ae Lee. Disc2 is filled out to the brim with five small featurettes, an impressive 55 minute documentary about the movie from start to final movie and premiere. The original Korean trailer, the Japanese Trailer, a TV spot, a promotional music video, and a music video documenting the production.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Original title: Boksuneun naui geot
Directed by; Chan-wook Park, 2002, South Korea
Drama / Thriller, 129 min
Distribution by CJ Entertainment

Story:
A young deaf man, Ryu [Ha-kyun Shin, from Park's previous movie, JSA], works hard hours at a factory. Most of his spare time is spent taking care of his ill sister [Ji-Eun Lim], who is in immediate need of a kidney transplant. Ryu goes to the extremes to help her. Together with his girlfriend Yu-Sun [Bo-Bae Han] they decide to kidnap the daughter of his boss Park Dong-Jin [Kang-ho Song, also from JSA] to finance his sisters needed operation. For a while this seems to be a good idea, but then things take an unexpected turn for the worst, and Mr. Park is out for vengeance.

Me:
This is one heavy movie to watch, to say the least. It's very dark, very violent, very emotional and very enthralling. There are some amazing scenes in this first instalment of Chan-wook Park's "vengeance trilogy". Early on before the main plot, the kidnapping kicks in, Ryu tries to donate one of his kidneys in return for cash to finance his sister's treatment, and is left for dead in an abandoned building site. This is the start of his "vengeance thread" (on the people who took his kidney) and then with the horrible death of the young victim, which really was hard to watch as it is done so "poetically" in lack of a better word to describe it. This is obviously what starts of Mr Park's vengeance thread. Park's search and destroy crusade to find the perpetrators is very convincing, as he simultaneously carries the overwhelming despair of loosing a child. Watching the movie there's no question why Chan-wook Park is quickly becoming one of those names to keep track of. The look of the movie is very much in key of the mood, bleak, washed out, and dark. The actors are brilliant, and always have a sense of remorse about themselves in all their bad deeds. There's no classic evil laughter as vengeance is served here.


Image:
Wonderfully shot on 35mm by Byeong-il Kim (who hasn't done much since), and printed on 3mm Anamorphic with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio the DVD is presented in a 2.28:1 Anamorphic widescreen print. It looks fantastic, and it's the best print I have seen on DVD so far. (Compared to the US/UK Tartan Video prints and the Scandinavian Asian Vision print)
The movie is subtitled in both Korean and English.

Audio:
No less than four audio options are given on this import disc; dts digital surround, 5.1 Dolby Digital and regular 2.0 digital surround. Also on the main disc, there is an audio commentary track by Chan-wook Park, alas it's in Korean and no subtitles are available for it.

Extras:
Happily there are a so much extras to round of this great movie that they are put on their own second disc. The International trailer, production notes with storyboards of two scenes. My Boksu Story which is cast featurettes, with the usual Q&A, and Staff interviews. Four cuts from the soundtrack with images from the movie. Finally the larger extra, In process of Mr. Vengeance, which breaks down into four smaller featurettes; Dactology, how Ha-kyun Shin and Bo-Bae Han learn how to use sign language for their roles. Star Review, where Kang-ho Song, Ha-kyun Shin and Bo-Bae Han talk about their characters, Special Makeup which obviously is about the FX of the film, Cameo Role focusing on Seung-beom Ryu's cameo as the retarded man who lives by the river. Unfortunately this second disc full of extras isn't subtitled, so if you don't speak Korean, you'll just have to enjoy the footage instead.

Like I said, it is a hard movie to watch, but definitely something you should see if you like Asian drama / thrillers. It is a stunning piece of work, and I'd rate it as one of the best, if not the best, Asian movie of 2002.