I’m a Cyborg, but that’s OK (2006)
(Saibogujiman kwenchana)
“Magnificent” The Guardian
“Whimsical loveliness…Inventive magic” Little White Lies
CJ Entertainment
MOHO Film
Directed by Park Chan-wook
Written by Seo-Gyeong Jeong & Park Chan-wook
Cast: Su-jeong Lim, Rain
It wasn’t long ago when America was shocking the world with its innovative use of cinema; everybody wanted to be involved in the Hollywood phenomenon. The wealth of acting talent was at unimaginable levels and the glitz and glamour seemed to dwindle as fast as it came into existence. British film making has also stepped up its game in recent years but there’s another continent that seems to be dominating our screens lately. The surge of Asian cinema seems to be gaining the majority fan base in the world, the recent revival of Bollywood in the west is mainly to thank for that.
The Korean film market seems to be churning out many future classics, some of these are thanks to the brilliant and un-doubtfully courageous Park Chan-wook, with his most notable films being Oldboy (2003), Lady Vengeance (2005) & I’m a Cyborg. Due to the latter being mainly unknown in Europe, and being that it’s also my favourite, it will be great to review.
I’m a Cyborg is the surreal romantic comedy following Young-goon, a do-gooder under the perception that she’s a cyborg. After an occurrence at her job, Young-goon is admitted to a mental institution where she meets many other colourful characters. Being a supposed robotic being, she happily charges her batteries using a transistor radio. Enter the ill fitting and personality stealing Il-soon, the quirky love interest who believes he’s fading and one day will be nothing but a dot. On finding out that his fellow inmate is on hunger strike, Il-soon takes it upon himself to get Young-goon eating again. Cue colourful scenes of quirky love and Korean Yodelling.
Not many films are as playful as I’m a Cyborg and it’s nice to see such childish antics in a spectacular set piece like this. It goes without saying that the film is subtitled throughout, unless your Korean is up to scratch, and it would lose its magic if it was dubbed. Subtitles have a knack of getting you more involved in the film, being that you have to concentrate harder to stay with the story. As with his other films, Park Chan-wook has written a masterpiece very worthy of world cinema. Creativity is in abundance with such a romantic tale. Casting is to a very high standard, with fresh, young actors moulding the characters into believable yet flawed humans, giving new life to a revitalising genre. Striking visuals full of colour and composed scores give the film a dreamlike quality, as if daydreaming could be saved onto digital media. I really didn’t expect yodelling in an Asian film.
It’s nice to see that foreign film is no longer set to the traditional Kung-fu flicks or lust filled, near pornographic stories of mistaken identity. I’m a Cyborg grabs its viewers and gives them a 105 minute lesson in how art imitates life. I can spot moments I can relate to throughout the film, even if they’re blown out of all proportion and involve over the top, radical acts. I mean, I’ve never personally tried to hide in a hiccupping grandfather clock.
If you’ve never seen any Asian cinema, this is a definite must see. It’s won many awards around the world for its innovative and tender look at the romantic fairytale.
(Saibogujiman kwenchana)
“Magnificent” The Guardian
“Whimsical loveliness…Inventive magic” Little White Lies
CJ Entertainment
MOHO Film
Directed by Park Chan-wook
Written by Seo-Gyeong Jeong & Park Chan-wook
Cast: Su-jeong Lim, Rain
It wasn’t long ago when America was shocking the world with its innovative use of cinema; everybody wanted to be involved in the Hollywood phenomenon. The wealth of acting talent was at unimaginable levels and the glitz and glamour seemed to dwindle as fast as it came into existence. British film making has also stepped up its game in recent years but there’s another continent that seems to be dominating our screens lately. The surge of Asian cinema seems to be gaining the majority fan base in the world, the recent revival of Bollywood in the west is mainly to thank for that.
The Korean film market seems to be churning out many future classics, some of these are thanks to the brilliant and un-doubtfully courageous Park Chan-wook, with his most notable films being Oldboy (2003), Lady Vengeance (2005) & I’m a Cyborg. Due to the latter being mainly unknown in Europe, and being that it’s also my favourite, it will be great to review.
I’m a Cyborg is the surreal romantic comedy following Young-goon, a do-gooder under the perception that she’s a cyborg. After an occurrence at her job, Young-goon is admitted to a mental institution where she meets many other colourful characters. Being a supposed robotic being, she happily charges her batteries using a transistor radio. Enter the ill fitting and personality stealing Il-soon, the quirky love interest who believes he’s fading and one day will be nothing but a dot. On finding out that his fellow inmate is on hunger strike, Il-soon takes it upon himself to get Young-goon eating again. Cue colourful scenes of quirky love and Korean Yodelling.
Not many films are as playful as I’m a Cyborg and it’s nice to see such childish antics in a spectacular set piece like this. It goes without saying that the film is subtitled throughout, unless your Korean is up to scratch, and it would lose its magic if it was dubbed. Subtitles have a knack of getting you more involved in the film, being that you have to concentrate harder to stay with the story. As with his other films, Park Chan-wook has written a masterpiece very worthy of world cinema. Creativity is in abundance with such a romantic tale. Casting is to a very high standard, with fresh, young actors moulding the characters into believable yet flawed humans, giving new life to a revitalising genre. Striking visuals full of colour and composed scores give the film a dreamlike quality, as if daydreaming could be saved onto digital media. I really didn’t expect yodelling in an Asian film.
It’s nice to see that foreign film is no longer set to the traditional Kung-fu flicks or lust filled, near pornographic stories of mistaken identity. I’m a Cyborg grabs its viewers and gives them a 105 minute lesson in how art imitates life. I can spot moments I can relate to throughout the film, even if they’re blown out of all proportion and involve over the top, radical acts. I mean, I’ve never personally tried to hide in a hiccupping grandfather clock.
If you’ve never seen any Asian cinema, this is a definite must see. It’s won many awards around the world for its innovative and tender look at the romantic fairytale.
No comments:
Post a Comment