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A Sleeper That Should Become A 'Masterpiece'!
First of all, one reviewer said that there was nudity; the worst thing shown in this movie was the back of a female's body and her side in bed view; definitely not enough to complain about nudity as a reason for not watching this masterpiece!
Actually, in my opinion, the first two times they make love are two of the most erotic moments in Korean cinema!
And, as another reviewer stated it, "The mild sexual content was tasteful and beautifully filmed, as well as was there for a purpose not just for thirsty eyes." I agree completely!
The two act as if they are scared of each other and are still cheating on their hospitalized spouses; they seem to be in high school and afraid to get caught 'doing it' for the first time, but their "need" for sex forces them to continue the taboo act...sex, and psychological release, from their forced-upon-them ordeal.
Each of them would have never thought of cheating on their spouse had they met in the same situation and their spouses' actions had not been discovered.
Also, the version most people had access to cut out important pieces of the rest of the story; what happened to In Soo (Bae Yong Joon) was cut from the readily-available version on YouTube. I was told that in the director's cut In Soo did divorce his wife, Su Jin (Lim Sang-Hyo, the female who survived the crash) and marry Seo Young (Son Ye Jin).
Since I only had the edited version to watch I thought the two were just cheating on their spouses again - the director's version makes the two going out on a road trip during a snow in spring (April) more acceptable.
I personally would have also divorced Su Jin after her action following her realization about her lover, Kwang-il {Kim Kwang-Il).
For this movie, you have to think like the wronged spouses here:
Both surviving spouses found out about their partner's being in a hospital through someone else calling them; they had no idea that his/her spouse was cheating on them!
Can you imagine the thoughts, doubts, and questions that were going through each other's minds
as they read the text messages of their partner's cell phones (as the hospital turned the cell phones
over to each of them?
Can you imagine the self-doubts of each of the leading cast members as they probably questioned
their self-worth as a partner, knowing that they (both) were being cheated on, and then to have to
meet the spouse of that person who was doing the cheating with their partner as well?
Can you imagine both partners wanting to (as I would have been prone to do) take a pillow and simply
smothering their spouse, solving a cornucopia of future problems that would have come about with
the cheating spouse recovering? In Soo even suggested this to his wife that she just die!
Can you imagine living in a guest house or nearby hotel/motel to a hospital as your spouse is (hopefully)
recovering, with nothing to do except ask yourself questions over and over again; and the only other
person who understands what you are going through is the spouse of the person your loved one was
cheating with in the first place?
These type questions are being asked by the two main leads minute by minute, and the answers to these questions form the basis of this wonderful movie!
As this movie slowly develops, we are shown that these very, and other, questions are plaguing both main leads, and ultimately, they only have each other to turn to in trying to find and maintain some form of sanity while waiting for their individual spouses to survive...or die!
Both leads are not sleeping; and both leads need someone desperately to talk to about their situation, someone who understands what they themselves are going through.
Both leads want to understand what was going on in the minds of their spouse, and how long it had been going on; this 'need' to find out more drives them to overcome their initial wariness of talking to each other and asking each other to see whatever records they may have to help them understand what their cheating spouse was thinking.
I saw much respect in the approach of the two toward each other as they knew the other may have information about the affair which the other didn't: In Soo was very polite and courteous to Seo Young as he initiated the request to share the cell phone text of her injured husband; Seo Young was equally respectful of In Soo in sharing this info...and her giving him property which she knew didn't belong to her husband.
This is not a movie that kills a person every 5 minutes, but it is about the psychological process of each of the wronged spouses is what makes this movie special!
Woven intricately by the director is a metamorphosis of the main characters' understanding of the situation they are dealt and how that affects them, the cheated-on spouse: you can see their bodies and actions "change" and become more stressed as these revelations take their toll on them, they become more pessimistic, cannot sleep and desperately need someone else to share their feelings; in In Soo's case one of the support cast sees these changes and how it affects him early on.
You also are dealing with two spouses who are in the prime of their life, especially Seo Young; had their spouses not wrecked a vehicle on their cheating vacation, the cheating spouses probably would have gone home and had sex with their waiting spouses, leaving the at-home spouse ignorant of their activities on their 'business trip.'
Sex is also a great way to relieve stress as you watch these individuals become more disillusioned, they NEED to relieve that built-up stress somehow; you can almost see it in their eyes as they find out that their partners' affair may have been since their college years.
Seo Young holds off her tears until after the funeral of the young man whose death was caused by the vehicle used by her husband and In Soo's cheating wife...you can almost feel the tension being released as she gets the build-up stress out of her system finally. Her exceptional ability to show emotion also came out in her portrayal of both the mother and her daughter in The Classic (2003)
It is shown over a time-lapse shot of the interval needed of her tension being released.
Each time I watch this, I see more of the carefully-placed emotional gestures of the two grieving, and wronged, spouses.
Only after Seo Young finally starts to accept what had happened, can she start being human again; her character is very quiet until this moment!
What follows is the remainder of the movie as these two draws closer to each other, out of necessity and desperation!
This is a movie that needs to be watched several times to pick up the nuances embedded by the director/screenwriter Hur Jin Ho, and I recommend the long list of several other hits he has been a part of in the past...and hopefully in the future!
The main cast makes their characters come alive and makes you forget that you are watching a movie; the sign that every great movie has in common with each other.
The support cast act professionally and in the background as they should, giving the two main leads the limelight and thus doing their part in supporting the movie's story.
The music, cinematography and props all make you feel you are in the presence of everyday people living their lives as tragedy strikes!
RE-WATCH VALUE: Don't get me wrong, you can watch this once only if you desire, but I believe that it would be a mistake only to watch it once! It definitely gets my vote for a re-watch!
Actually, in my opinion, the first two times they make love are two of the most erotic moments in Korean cinema!
And, as another reviewer stated it, "The mild sexual content was tasteful and beautifully filmed, as well as was there for a purpose not just for thirsty eyes." I agree completely!
The two act as if they are scared of each other and are still cheating on their hospitalized spouses; they seem to be in high school and afraid to get caught 'doing it' for the first time, but their "need" for sex forces them to continue the taboo act...sex, and psychological release, from their forced-upon-them ordeal.
Each of them would have never thought of cheating on their spouse had they met in the same situation and their spouses' actions had not been discovered.
Also, the version most people had access to cut out important pieces of the rest of the story; what happened to In Soo (Bae Yong Joon) was cut from the readily-available version on YouTube. I was told that in the director's cut In Soo did divorce his wife, Su Jin (Lim Sang-Hyo, the female who survived the crash) and marry Seo Young (Son Ye Jin).
Since I only had the edited version to watch I thought the two were just cheating on their spouses again - the director's version makes the two going out on a road trip during a snow in spring (April) more acceptable.
I personally would have also divorced Su Jin after her action following her realization about her lover, Kwang-il {Kim Kwang-Il).
For this movie, you have to think like the wronged spouses here:
Both surviving spouses found out about their partner's being in a hospital through someone else calling them; they had no idea that his/her spouse was cheating on them!
Can you imagine the thoughts, doubts, and questions that were going through each other's minds
as they read the text messages of their partner's cell phones (as the hospital turned the cell phones
over to each of them?
Can you imagine the self-doubts of each of the leading cast members as they probably questioned
their self-worth as a partner, knowing that they (both) were being cheated on, and then to have to
meet the spouse of that person who was doing the cheating with their partner as well?
Can you imagine both partners wanting to (as I would have been prone to do) take a pillow and simply
smothering their spouse, solving a cornucopia of future problems that would have come about with
the cheating spouse recovering? In Soo even suggested this to his wife that she just die!
Can you imagine living in a guest house or nearby hotel/motel to a hospital as your spouse is (hopefully)
recovering, with nothing to do except ask yourself questions over and over again; and the only other
person who understands what you are going through is the spouse of the person your loved one was
cheating with in the first place?
These type questions are being asked by the two main leads minute by minute, and the answers to these questions form the basis of this wonderful movie!
As this movie slowly develops, we are shown that these very, and other, questions are plaguing both main leads, and ultimately, they only have each other to turn to in trying to find and maintain some form of sanity while waiting for their individual spouses to survive...or die!
Both leads are not sleeping; and both leads need someone desperately to talk to about their situation, someone who understands what they themselves are going through.
Both leads want to understand what was going on in the minds of their spouse, and how long it had been going on; this 'need' to find out more drives them to overcome their initial wariness of talking to each other and asking each other to see whatever records they may have to help them understand what their cheating spouse was thinking.
I saw much respect in the approach of the two toward each other as they knew the other may have information about the affair which the other didn't: In Soo was very polite and courteous to Seo Young as he initiated the request to share the cell phone text of her injured husband; Seo Young was equally respectful of In Soo in sharing this info...and her giving him property which she knew didn't belong to her husband.
This is not a movie that kills a person every 5 minutes, but it is about the psychological process of each of the wronged spouses is what makes this movie special!
Woven intricately by the director is a metamorphosis of the main characters' understanding of the situation they are dealt and how that affects them, the cheated-on spouse: you can see their bodies and actions "change" and become more stressed as these revelations take their toll on them, they become more pessimistic, cannot sleep and desperately need someone else to share their feelings; in In Soo's case one of the support cast sees these changes and how it affects him early on.
You also are dealing with two spouses who are in the prime of their life, especially Seo Young; had their spouses not wrecked a vehicle on their cheating vacation, the cheating spouses probably would have gone home and had sex with their waiting spouses, leaving the at-home spouse ignorant of their activities on their 'business trip.'
Sex is also a great way to relieve stress as you watch these individuals become more disillusioned, they NEED to relieve that built-up stress somehow; you can almost see it in their eyes as they find out that their partners' affair may have been since their college years.
Seo Young holds off her tears until after the funeral of the young man whose death was caused by the vehicle used by her husband and In Soo's cheating wife...you can almost feel the tension being released as she gets the build-up stress out of her system finally. Her exceptional ability to show emotion also came out in her portrayal of both the mother and her daughter in The Classic (2003)
It is shown over a time-lapse shot of the interval needed of her tension being released.
Each time I watch this, I see more of the carefully-placed emotional gestures of the two grieving, and wronged, spouses.
Only after Seo Young finally starts to accept what had happened, can she start being human again; her character is very quiet until this moment!
What follows is the remainder of the movie as these two draws closer to each other, out of necessity and desperation!
This is a movie that needs to be watched several times to pick up the nuances embedded by the director/screenwriter Hur Jin Ho, and I recommend the long list of several other hits he has been a part of in the past...and hopefully in the future!
The main cast makes their characters come alive and makes you forget that you are watching a movie; the sign that every great movie has in common with each other.
The support cast act professionally and in the background as they should, giving the two main leads the limelight and thus doing their part in supporting the movie's story.
The music, cinematography and props all make you feel you are in the presence of everyday people living their lives as tragedy strikes!
RE-WATCH VALUE: Don't get me wrong, you can watch this once only if you desire, but I believe that it would be a mistake only to watch it once! It definitely gets my vote for a re-watch!
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