In all fairness, I should come out and say right off the bat that I'm not a huge fan of Kim Ki-duk. After watching The Isle, I had pretty much written off seeing anything else by the director. But last year, my nephew, who does not generally watch subtitled films, recommended I see 3-Iron, which I did. And I must admit, I rather enjoyed the movie, even if I don't consider it essential viewing. I realized then that Kim was a director to contend with -- one who could tell a coherent and engaging story without having to resort to sick and violent sexual imagery. For some time, I'd been following Kim's career out of sheer curiosity, wondering when we'd hear about another of his attacks on the Korean film community. Then the unexpected happened -- he retracted his vow not to release his latest film, Breath, in Korea. Which is a good thing I guess, because The Korea Herald has just published the first English review of the film, and this one sounds, on paper at least, like a captivating and visually stunning work. A woman, overcome with grief upon learning of her husband's affair, sees on television a news story about a death-row inmate who has tried to commit suicide. With the help of a prison guard, the woman is allowed to visit the man, with whom she feels a strange bond. During the course of her visits, she decorates the drab walls of the prison cell to represent the four seasons and sings songs which produce a dazzling and unsettling effect. Is the woman real? Is she merely a fantasy? Produced for the astronomical sum of $265,000, filmed mostly within the walls of a prison in Seoul, in the can in under two weeks, I've got to hand it to him -- Kim is one hell of a guerilla filmmaker. Breath will be released in Korean theatres on April 19th.
[Source: The Korea Herald]
a movie only for $265.000 dollar? Imagine what he can do with a budget like Jerry Bruckheimer heh.
Excellent update, Jon. Even if he doesn't always convince me, I enjoy his efforts.
When has Kim ever had to 'resort' to violent imagery? He may not always succeed in comunicating what he wants to, but he's not a director looking for cheap thrills. Kim focuses on the physical and emotional squalor of korean society and many find his work to be sensationalistic, but for me he has always had integrity and a purpose. Kim is the closest thing to Fassbinder that we have today.(Even I would argue this last statement. I just wanted to make a point.)
what's up with the i'm not a fan of and The Isle bashing? :-P
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