41ST KARLOVY VARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2006 – OPENING FILM
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

IN KOREAN WITH ENGLISH & CHINESE SUBTITLES
Genre: Drama
Director: Kim Ki-duk
Starring: SUNG Hyun-ah, HA Jung-woo
RunTime: 1 hr 38 mins
Released By: Festive Films and GV
Rating: M18 (Some Sexual Scenes)
Official Website: www.festivefilms.com/time

Opening Day: 16 November 2006

Synopsis :

Seh-hee and Ji-woo (Ha Jung Woo - The Unforgiven) have been together for years, but their relationship is slowly dying down, their love changing into a mere mildly pleasing familiarity. To solve her problems, Seh-hee makes a drastic decision: change her facial appearances completely through plastic surgery and start a new life. Weeks later, Ji-woo meets a strange waitress at a cafe. She calls herself See-hee (Sung Hyun Ah - Cello) and, even though he's never seen her before, something feels strangely familiar...

Movie Review:

Some of you might even remember director Kim Ki-duk recent works like '3-Iron', 'Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring' and 'The Bow'. Despite critically acclaimed internationally as a sophisticated director/screenwriter whom blended breathtaking imagery with complex story line, was not celebrated in his homeland, Korea. Where his films were often tanked with poor reception. Feminist critics decided that his films were misogynous and the audience was frustrated with his confusing storytelling further pushing the director away from reaching to the locals.

His latest film, 'Time' started out a very persuasive meal, but as one dug in, there were too many bones to pick at. With seemingly unimportant repetitions burrowing into the space and time in the structure, and what appeared like a breakthrough turned out haughtily as just another tease, it was very easy to feel the Korean's impatience with Kim Ki-duk. The last half of the movie was poorly constructed and paced leading to a very absurd ending. It was almost as if the director was lost in his style of articulation and therefore unable to link his ideas legibly. Abandoning conventional and effective storytelling, 'Time' stubbornly refused to relate us with its dilemmas, and instead of sympathies we as the audience were ever so willingly to offer, it warranted us to ponder searchingly at our own parameters.

I admitted that I had a hard time deciphering the movie. It was confusing, it was unpleasantly weird, and it was dreary, yet unpredictable. In short, it was everything that opposed whatever that drew audience into the theater.

And I liked it.

As a movie sucker, I scrounged to seek unique knotty directions that could separate us from the crowd. Not to say that I rationalized my decision-making against anything with commercial value, or whatever people like I don't mentality. But sitting there in the dark cinema with dozen of us scratching our heads at what was going on, I was exhilarated at the prospect of being challenged. Thrown off course by dreamy repetitions and unfamiliar framework, we were subjected to put two and two on our own. Some of us left struck behind in one of its many logic defying motivations, while many of us guessed with little faith on how the film was going to end. This was what I loved about 'Time'. The joy of watching a movie, to me, was not knowing what was going to happen next.

Kim Ki-duk was never shy in exploring the perversive human mind with his amoral characters trying to free themselves with selfishness and disarrayed obsessions. 'Time' tried to challenge self-identity and the boundaries of twisted perspectives in love. Questions such as ‘Is there such a thing as too much love?’ and ‘How much is too much?’ entwined the two tormented lovers Seh-hee and Ji-woo in a Shakespearean-like tragedy.

I like the way in which Kim Ki-duk wrote the confrontations, specially in a particular scene where Seh-hee was getting the vibe that Ji-woo was tired of her body and wanted him to imagine that she was somebody else during intercourse. And when it was over, Seh-hee went hysterical because her accusation to her boyfriend’s infidelity was proved, even though it was entrapment. But Seh-hee didn’t cared, she even went further as to become somebody else, hoping by forcing the person she loved so desperately to a corner, then he would understand who was really right for him. I find Seh-hee’s obsession very realistic and complex. This level of subtlety in a romantic relationship was seldom examined in movies. Though ‘Time’ may be a film about plastic surgery, which was in the rage now, especially in Korea. But to me, it was never about fixating the newest cultures or exploring its possible social implications, Kim Ki-duk was only using it as an option for change. His ‘Time’ however, echoed a more esoteric and sinister nature in intimacy, grandiosity and faith. Love hurts, it really does.

Movie Rating:

(Probably the most misunderstood, yet unapologetic film of the year)

Review by Ang Wei Kiat