Man on High Heels (2014)

It's been a long time since I struggled to rate a movie and even now I'm not sure how I feel about it. For one, emotions came first in this. There was very little room for me to ponder on things because of the way this movie delivered. However, in the end, I found myself a touch disappointed because while the movie approached this topic very intellectually, it still felt a touch hesitant, a touch too cautious and a little muddled.

The biggest reason being that this movie at times felt a touch too muddled in what it was trying to convey. It deeply explores an issue very well but yet not deeply enough. Deep issues are at times downplayed due to very stereotypical assumptions, and the end for me felt like a cop out. I admit, that viewpoint can be countered but I felt in the grand scheme of things, it allowed the audience to still retain their view of "normalcy". However, this isn't what made me dock points largely.

This movie deals with a topic that I rarely see and as a review mentioned, where a man trying to become a woman isn't the butt of a joke. Here, there is no laughter, little room for it. This movie cleverly approaches the topic as it takes this Herculean and manly guy who isn't happy with himself. He wants to become a woman. It creates an interesting and refreshing dichotomy as here is a guy who can easily fight any man and easily conquer a horde of attacking gangs yet he wants to be a woman.

The strong point is definitely Cha Seung Won's character (Ji Wook) and he carries this movie for me. The rest of the plot for me is kind of fodder as are a bunch of the characters. There were certain characters in here that for me had no legitimate reason to be here or to be included in the story as they were. Mainly because they muddle vs aid the story. There are other characters though I recognize their importance because they add to Cha Seung Won's character. For example, the antagonist here the sub-leader of a gang and while I find his character to add very little in terms of plot, he brings out Ji Wook's character. What I mean is that most of the action sequences come from the interaction between the two which allows for the story to cement the manly image that Ji Wook has. However, while a good portion of the action scenes are relevant, I have to pick a bone with a good number of them. I feel this way about a lot of movies and dramas that bring to the table an unsettling topic or a very intelligent topic. There are always dramatic actions sequences involved. Yes, it's a way for the director to sell the plot but it would be nice to just directly approach the topic. In this case, the topic is interesting enough to be the sole focus. I just feel that the action sequences at times distract from the main topic.

On a personal note, there were quite a few things in this movie I wish I could alter. I also wish I could make this movie go hard in terms of really exploring this theme. I feel like this movie should have shocked the viewer more than it did. It makes it feel a little regrettable in that regard. Nonetheless, definitely one to watch.

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This movie struck me emotionally so it's a little difficult to look at it as a whole and weigh its cons and pros. It's one of those movies that touch your heart and resonate with you that you just tell your brain to shut up when it brings up things you didn't like about it.

It's like the plot was a mere ornament for the heart of this movie: the story of a woman trapped in a man's body. No matter how you change the setting and characters, the story is the same, and that universality is the best thing about 'Man on High Heels'.

Cha Seung-won, Cha Seung-won. Oh, man. This was not my first time seeing him pull a great performance, but I find myself struggling for words to describe what he did with a hit-or-miss role like playing Ji-wook. Perhaps another actor would not have managed the subtlety and nuance of a 'manly' man with an inner woman, or given the character the perfect shade of a vulnerable and feminine aura. No matter what you think about transgender people, you would just be pulled in to sympathize and feel for Ji-wook's deep-set longing. By the movie's end, I fully bought Cha Seung-won's character and believed the conflict of what he is vs. what he wants to be.

The directing and camera work was spot-on and handled with finesse, and it makes sense since the director wrote the script and channeled his vision. I loved the parts unspoken in a scene, when the camera would show us instead. I can't really recall the music but I think it was mostly instrumental and most scenes were big on natural sounds.

Lastly, I'm going to avoid talking about the ending because it would definitely include spoilers but I just want to say that it made sense since the whole movie was leading up to this. Not that I'm happy, but I'm at peace with it.

Warning: Right. Just be aware that there are lots of violent scenes that veered a little on gore at times. I cringed so much but I'm just averse to seeing blood and stabbings on screen.

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