Director:
Kim Ki-duk
Studio/Production Company:
Happinet Pictures
Genre:
Drama
Length:
Feature
Awards Won:
2006 Chicago International Film Festival, Plaque Award
Fantasporto 2007, Director's Week Award / Best Actor
Sitges 2006, Best Special Effects
Website:
http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/section-videos/code-k/pid-1004472853
Score:
3.5/5
It is no secret that I love the films of Kim Ki-duk. In my opinion he has a seat at the table of great filmmakers working today. Few have conjured up as many evocative images over the last few years as he has with films like Samaritan Girl, 3-Iron and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (a cinematic trifecta of the highest order). To say that I have been anticipating his latest work would be an understatement. Even though his last film The Bow left much to be desired it was visually impeccable and as with any great even their lesser works are fascinating. His latest, Time, is a departure from his most recent works which have focused on visual storytelling with virtually no dialogue and is more a return to his earlier (and more brutal) films like Bad Guy. Sadly, the results are again mixed.
Seh-hee (Ji-yeon Park) and Ji-woo (Jung-woo Ha) are a couple with serious issues. She perceives her boyfriend as being a lecherous ladies man and flies into fits of jealous rage at the slightest contact he has with the opposite sex. Though he continually denies that his eyes have strayed, she can't help but feel that she will lose him. These feelings stem more from her own feelings of inadequacy than anything that he is doing. When making love she demands that he imagines her as being another woman. When he obliges she only gets more enraged further confusing Ji-woo. One day Seh-hee disappears without a mention to anyone. She sees a cosmetic surgeon to alter her entire face in an effort to keep Ji-woo. She is told that it will take 6 months for her face to heal after surgery hence the move. This leaves Ji-woo reeling as he tries to come to terms with the loss of his love. When she returns she takes on the persona of See-hee, attracting Ji-woo while leaving him completely in the dark about who she really is (or was). What results is a story examining the inter-relation of love and lust, memories versus reality, and the definition of self in an image-driven culture.
In many ways this is Kim's attempt at a horror film. The subjective camera of post-op Seh-hee as she follows Ji-woo evokes the stalker conventions established by John Carpenter in Halloween (and practically every slasher film since). The idea of changing one's face (like wearing a mask) to alter your identity is very much a genre element. There is no gore beyond the opening montage of various cosmetic procedures being done (which are nasty by the way) or violence in the film other than the emotional so it is not a horror in that sense. Time is about the horror we put ourselves through in the name of image and love. The story twists into a sad play of doomed individuals who will never see the forest for the trees. Kim is obviously commenting on the immense popularity of cosmetic surgery in South Korea (and Asia in general), where these procedures are becoming the norm.
What the film lacks is a sense of scope. Seeing the same characters interact in the handful of locations becomes a bit illogical. How many serious outbursts can two people have in the same cafe before they are denied at the door? It sounds silly but it really wore on me. Outside of that the film generally works even if it is heavy handed. It certainly works better than The Bow. Not surprisingly, the photography is lush with plenty of iconic images that will remain with you long after the film concludes. Some may see the film as misogynistic (a common criticism of Kim's that I frankly don't see) because the character of Seh-hee is painted in such pathetic and petty strokes, but it is grounded in a reality. A woman with identity and emotional issues is not a stretch by any means, especially in the image conscious world we live in. Regardless, Time is a welcome addition to Kim's oeuvre and though not nearly as good as his best it does not diminish his luster.
Kim Ki-duk
Studio/Production Company:
Happinet Pictures
Genre:
Drama
Length:
Feature
Awards Won:
2006 Chicago International Film Festival, Plaque Award
Fantasporto 2007, Director's Week Award / Best Actor
Sitges 2006, Best Special Effects
Website:
http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/section-videos/code-k/pid-1004472853
Score:
3.5/5
It is no secret that I love the films of Kim Ki-duk. In my opinion he has a seat at the table of great filmmakers working today. Few have conjured up as many evocative images over the last few years as he has with films like Samaritan Girl, 3-Iron and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (a cinematic trifecta of the highest order). To say that I have been anticipating his latest work would be an understatement. Even though his last film The Bow left much to be desired it was visually impeccable and as with any great even their lesser works are fascinating. His latest, Time, is a departure from his most recent works which have focused on visual storytelling with virtually no dialogue and is more a return to his earlier (and more brutal) films like Bad Guy. Sadly, the results are again mixed.
Seh-hee (Ji-yeon Park) and Ji-woo (Jung-woo Ha) are a couple with serious issues. She perceives her boyfriend as being a lecherous ladies man and flies into fits of jealous rage at the slightest contact he has with the opposite sex. Though he continually denies that his eyes have strayed, she can't help but feel that she will lose him. These feelings stem more from her own feelings of inadequacy than anything that he is doing. When making love she demands that he imagines her as being another woman. When he obliges she only gets more enraged further confusing Ji-woo. One day Seh-hee disappears without a mention to anyone. She sees a cosmetic surgeon to alter her entire face in an effort to keep Ji-woo. She is told that it will take 6 months for her face to heal after surgery hence the move. This leaves Ji-woo reeling as he tries to come to terms with the loss of his love. When she returns she takes on the persona of See-hee, attracting Ji-woo while leaving him completely in the dark about who she really is (or was). What results is a story examining the inter-relation of love and lust, memories versus reality, and the definition of self in an image-driven culture.
In many ways this is Kim's attempt at a horror film. The subjective camera of post-op Seh-hee as she follows Ji-woo evokes the stalker conventions established by John Carpenter in Halloween (and practically every slasher film since). The idea of changing one's face (like wearing a mask) to alter your identity is very much a genre element. There is no gore beyond the opening montage of various cosmetic procedures being done (which are nasty by the way) or violence in the film other than the emotional so it is not a horror in that sense. Time is about the horror we put ourselves through in the name of image and love. The story twists into a sad play of doomed individuals who will never see the forest for the trees. Kim is obviously commenting on the immense popularity of cosmetic surgery in South Korea (and Asia in general), where these procedures are becoming the norm.
What the film lacks is a sense of scope. Seeing the same characters interact in the handful of locations becomes a bit illogical. How many serious outbursts can two people have in the same cafe before they are denied at the door? It sounds silly but it really wore on me. Outside of that the film generally works even if it is heavy handed. It certainly works better than The Bow. Not surprisingly, the photography is lush with plenty of iconic images that will remain with you long after the film concludes. Some may see the film as misogynistic (a common criticism of Kim's that I frankly don't see) because the character of Seh-hee is painted in such pathetic and petty strokes, but it is grounded in a reality. A woman with identity and emotional issues is not a stretch by any means, especially in the image conscious world we live in. Regardless, Time is a welcome addition to Kim's oeuvre and though not nearly as good as his best it does not diminish his luster.