:
Lee Sang Hyun,
Lee Sang Hyun,
Kim Tae Yeon,
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:
Jang Sun-Woo,
Jang Sun-Woo
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: Not Rated
: Fox Lorber
: Drama, Foreign, Korea, Erotica
: 115 min.
: Korean
: English
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This erotic drama follows bad boy director Jang Sun Woo's controversial Bad Movie (1997), a gritty, documentary-style look at Seoul street kids which featured such taboo themes as drug abuse, casual sex, and prostitution. Based on the banned book Tell Me a Lie by noted novelist Jang Jung Il, the film tells of the obsessive, sadomasochistic relationship between a young high school Lolita named Y (Kim Tae Yeon) and a renowned, married, 38-year-old sculptor named J (Lee Sang Hyun). Y's best friend has a crush on the sculptor but is too shy to act on it. At first, Y takes the initiative on her friend's behalf, but she soon finds herself attracted to the man. Keen to lose her virginity before graduation, Y willingly surrenders every orifice to her experienced lover. Though the post-coital conversation is warm, J is nervous about being seen with the 18-year-old Y, still considered a minor in Korea. When J reveals his proclivity for whipping, what began as a page out of Nabokov evolves into something out of the Marquis de Sade. With surprising passion and endurance, Y submits to being flogged with rubber hoses, wire hangers, and tree branches. After a three-month stay in Paris with his wife, J returns to his young mistress, now a college student. This time, J suggests that the roles be reversed. The initially reluctant Y soon lustfully takes to the role of dominant. Things get complicated when Y's conservative family gets wind of the affair, and Y's motorcycle-driving brother torches the sculptor's studio. Y withdraws from college and the two become sexual vagabonds, going from motel and motel with only a few articles of clothing and a suitcase full of flogging equipment. Though at first such hedonism seems liberating, soon insecurities, doubts, and a longing for stability creep into their bliss. Jang's confrontational, though oddly touching, film features fearless performances from first-time actors Lee Sang Hyun and especially Kim Tae Yeon, both of whom act in the buff for much of the movie. In as conservative a society as Korea, where 15 years ago a bare belly in the movies was considered racy, this film courts the same fate as Nagisa Oshima's erotic masterpiece In the Realm of the Senses (1976), which garnered critical praise abroad while never having an unexpurgated version screened domestically. This film was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
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| Sensual and real
by AGruzdeva
April 19, 2007 - 11:12 AM PDT
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| I was looking for this movie for 3 years and I am very happy that I finaly saw it. It made me feel alive. After about three years of shallow and emotionless stories it gave me a taste of the reality. I remembered that people are not made from plaster and their bodies are not always corrected with photoshop. Regular people still have real feelings and have the ability to enjoy whatever they find to be enjoyable. I recommended this movie. |
| Borderline Pornographic
by lockeender
March 24, 2003 - 10:34 PM PST
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6 out of 8 members found this review helpful
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Any review of this film has to address the sexual material, so the first half or most of the review will address my opinions on this.
There's a very good reason this was banned of pornographic. Although it just barely falls short of hardcore closeups of the actual deeds being performed for about a fifth of the film, it often shoots them in such a manner that I was convinced more than once that they are actually doing those deeds (which they may have). Occasional long shots seem to be hardcore pornography but my computer monitor was too small (and I wasn't prolonging the film by freezframing or slomo or anything like that), and there was just enough shadow to make me unsure.
The sex is blunt, direct, and in your face. Within the first fifteen minutes, Y has been deflowered in all three major places, all of which we get to see. This and the next major sex scene are vaguely erotic, but 30 minutes into the film I was already numb, the sex is so continuous that it loses any meaning or significance. That I think is the intention of the film. Y and J have sex for the sake of having it (Y to choose her first sexual partner and not be raped), and it quickly becomes as meaningless for them as it does for the audience (although they still derive pleasure from it). They gradually turn to more and more sadomasochistic elements to get the charge they desire. The film's 'finale' consists of Y and J abandoning all worldly concerns to do nothing but F***--a 'freedom' the director wanted to explore. The DVD has a director's statement that clarifies his intentions for the film, and should be read beforehand (since the film starts when the DVD is played you'll have to manually bring up the menu). However, Lies, takes the time to find an emotional ending that works.
The performances are excellent, and for what could easily have become a pornographic film the story is especially compelling and interesting. The most important thing is that the sex scenes are an integral part of the films rhythm, and really can't be skipped, the film will NOT have the same impact if you don't view them all.
The subtitle translation is exceptionally good, better than the four other Korean films I've seen. Video quality is also fine, and was not noticeably bad on my computer, although problems may be evident on other display devices.
A very interesting film I'm glad I saw, but I have no desire to ever see it again, because it is quite powerful despite its risque and taboo subject matter. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 5.73)
63 Votes
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