Along with Frost/Nixon this is the best film that I’ve seen over the past two years. From the moment the film begins we are taken on an adventure that never has us wondering, “Is this movie almost over?” The film was written/ directed/ edited/ shot/ produced/ composed by one guy, a 33-year-old writer who was constantly losing at screenplay contests so decided to write something that he could just shoot himself. The results are staggering. The film begins with four friends getting drunk and trying to help mend their friend’s broken heart. One suggests that they take a trip down to a rural city outside of Seoul where they’re having a market festival. The men agree and the revelry continues. The next day, the broken-hearted guy arrives in the town to find it completely empty and that his friends have blown-off the trip without telling him. The premise propels our hero into a series of misadventures as he meets some hilariously bizarre, completely relatable characters. The hero is somewhat of a blank slate for the color of these characters—he’s too nice to tell people to fuck off so he’s caught in awkward situations, somewhat kin to Larry David’s schtick but in a more charming way. The ending is equally pleasing and I can’t imagine a more satisfying execution of it. The film was shot on digital video and cost only $7,000 to make. Many of the cast also served as the crew on the shoot. There are some major technical guffaws such as some scenes out of focus or shooting at really low shutter speeds to compensate for the lack of light, but these really didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the film. Some of the best scenes were when the camera was simply left far away and didn’t move for about 3 to 5 minutes with no cuts at all. I barely even noticed it because of the quality of the acting and the writing. Overall, this is a must-see movie for anyone who loves independent film (though try to ignore my gushing and see it as if you didn’t know anything about it). I’m definitely going to buy this film when it’s out on DVD and really study it. Five out of five.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
WIFF - Daytime Drinking
Along with Frost/Nixon this is the best film that I’ve seen over the past two years. From the moment the film begins we are taken on an adventure that never has us wondering, “Is this movie almost over?” The film was written/ directed/ edited/ shot/ produced/ composed by one guy, a 33-year-old writer who was constantly losing at screenplay contests so decided to write something that he could just shoot himself. The results are staggering. The film begins with four friends getting drunk and trying to help mend their friend’s broken heart. One suggests that they take a trip down to a rural city outside of Seoul where they’re having a market festival. The men agree and the revelry continues. The next day, the broken-hearted guy arrives in the town to find it completely empty and that his friends have blown-off the trip without telling him. The premise propels our hero into a series of misadventures as he meets some hilariously bizarre, completely relatable characters. The hero is somewhat of a blank slate for the color of these characters—he’s too nice to tell people to fuck off so he’s caught in awkward situations, somewhat kin to Larry David’s schtick but in a more charming way. The ending is equally pleasing and I can’t imagine a more satisfying execution of it. The film was shot on digital video and cost only $7,000 to make. Many of the cast also served as the crew on the shoot. There are some major technical guffaws such as some scenes out of focus or shooting at really low shutter speeds to compensate for the lack of light, but these really didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the film. Some of the best scenes were when the camera was simply left far away and didn’t move for about 3 to 5 minutes with no cuts at all. I barely even noticed it because of the quality of the acting and the writing. Overall, this is a must-see movie for anyone who loves independent film (though try to ignore my gushing and see it as if you didn’t know anything about it). I’m definitely going to buy this film when it’s out on DVD and really study it. Five out of five.
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is this a korean film?
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