The Handmaiden

The first two parts show two women being fashioned by the desires of two men. But neither of the men see into what the women truly want. Only at the very end does the con man realise what has happened – the relationship that has developed between the two women. He finally sees what they truly desire.

The irony being that that final vision (which the film ends on) is informed by the culture (those books) they have read. It flickers the first time we see it, but it's difficult to see the truth at first.

The film also exploits its cast for the enjoyment of the audience. We're not innocent either – we are the people listening to filthy stories in the library. But if our desires are to be warped by books (or films), at least we should understand what others truly want, rather than using them for our own ends.

Oldboy

Gotta say, I've got some sympathy with this review. I mean, the film is not ALL style over substance, but the substance IS pretty meagre. Listening to the interview clips on the DVD doesn't change that opinion. Chan-Wook talks about anger being taboo, but revenge not bringing satisfaction. Ah, the irony of injury making you inflict injury on others, I remember it well! Eye for an eye leaves us all blind, such a valuable pearl of wisdom!

More interesting and confusing is the whole incest business. In the pivotal voyeur scene, the hanky-panky throws up a handheld mirror. What is that about? Reflection? Detachment? Vanity? I'm gonna go for the latter. Bro and sis are obsessed with perfection. Perhaps that's why they don't stray beyond the bloodline. When their secret is revealed and their names muddied, the girl chooses death, the boy vengeance... gender, eh?

What of Oldboy's really grim final scene with his daughter / lover. On the DVD, Park answers questions from the audience, and has to address one woman who just didn't get that shit. Well, Oldboy's desire is just too strong for the relationship to stay paternal, Chan-Wook explains. Yuck. So he is allowed to forget. He may be a beast, but he still deserves to live a little, right? Umm...

So where's the masterpiece, I ask you? Oh, you mean the style of the thing? Point taken. On a purely sensory level, the film pummels . Yeh, the fight scene in the corridor, the zoom-out thru the chopsticks, the freaking octopus! Das sum craizy shit! But it leaves you with nothing but shudders when the credits roll. Thirst was a lot more purrty and sophistikaty, Imo. So, bigger and better things to come, one hopes...

Thirst

Korean vampire film, naturally. The director says in the interview on the DVD that he storyboards EVERY scene in his films, lighting and all. And boy do you believe it! Firecracker frames every single one of them. Dude likes to keep his steady-cam running too. And he likes to get the crane involved as well. And he's got a good eye for odd wide-angle shots. Special effects, sound design, all carefully considered and expertly mixed in. Srsly, I haven't been this wowed by the look of a horror film since Pan's Labyrinth. LOVE-e-ly stuff.

But let's leave the superficial considerations to one side. What is this (really long!) story about? Our protagonist, a priest, condemns suicide but has a thirst for martyrdom. Interesting enough. Next, vampirism awakens a thirst for blood and sex. Slightly less novel. For me, the film is about how to negotiate with these unwholesome desires, which cannot be entirely eradicated, and yet have the potential to do enormous damage to others. The priest escapes from the strictures of Catholicism and falls in love, but his love cannot control herself. She turns from masochism to sadism, using her lover to kill, then killing on her own. Blind faith is a dead end, but so is complete freedom to do whatever you want. By the end of the film, the priest has made too many compromises. He didn't get the balance right, and so martyrdom is the only way out.

So it's what every vampire movie is about -- struggling with your inner beast. But being a 21st century vampire movie, religion isn't the answer either (ya heard that, Twilight?). Like I said, not novel stuff, but it's so godsdamn pretty that you'll forgive all shortcomings. Honestly, more fantasy / horror films need to look like this.