What a wonderful movie. This was the first one we (Benjamin, my mom and myself) enjoyed today. Right after that we watched a second one.
"Removing any pretence of reality for yet another of his existentialist essays on human nature, Kim Ki-duk’s bare-boned new film pairs a married woman with a man on death row, for an impossible love affair. But as this is, after all, Kim Ki-duk territory, the affair does materialise in a manner of speaking, even offering a deserved relief to two tormented souls, before it drops the curtains. Kim’s followers will embrace this and festivals couldn’t possibly miss exposing such a bemusing item. Kim, whose international reputation was based for many years on the excesses he indulged in films like "The Isle" or "Bad Guy", doesn't quite achieve the same heights he climbed in "Spring, Summer…", but he doesn't need to shock anymore and works wonders within the minimalist conditions he imposes on himself. Visually, this is as eye-catching as any of Kim's films, from the muted pastels of Yeon's home, to the stark realism of the prison cell, and down to the brilliantly sharp universe created by Yeon's vivid imagination inside a the prison room. Finally, there is effective use of incidental music, like the mechanical-sounding version of "Moonlight Sonata" played by Yeon's husband, or the ironically utilised "Tombe la Neige" which wraps up the entire picture." (via Asia Filmfest 2007 via Screen Daily )
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