Xiayu An old idea given a new spin, this film ponders the idea of a living person possessed by the soul of the dead. But it's not the Exorcist - there's no horror, no gore, just intricate, unsettling emotions and impossible-to-answer questions.Two brothers, Ho-jin and Dae-jin, are close but with the kind of tolerance and exasperation that comes from a lifetime of living with someone who is your polar opposite. Ho-jin is a carpenter who is about to have an exhibition of his carefully crafted furniture. Dae-jin is a bit of a lout, races cars for a living, and doesn't really pull his weight around the house.They share a home with Ho-jin's wife, Eun-su. Ho-jin and Eun-su enjoy a special relationship, writing letters to one another daily and treasuring their good fortune at having found one another. On the day that Dae-jin is to race in a rally, Ho-jin, running very late, catches a cab to the speedway. Then disaster strikes: both brothers are simultaneously the victims of shocking car accidents. Both end up in the hospital in deep comas.A year later, we see one of them awake. Dae-jin opens his eyes, staggers out of bed and catches sight of himself in the mirror. The significance of this is not overdone, but the shot is held long enough to let the viewer know that it's important. He is released from the hospital and goes home to pick up his life. It's slow going - he is often confused and distracted, frequently falling into very long sleeps, and physically shaky. He begins to adopt habits; watering the garden, making elaborate dinners, building furniture, putting toothpaste on Eun-su's toothbrush in the early morning. This freaks Eun-su out - these are all things that Ho-jin used to do.It becomes clear that Dae-jin believes himself to be Ho-jin inside Dae-jin's body. The tension comes from the fact that, as he tries to convince Eun-su of this by revealing facts about her that only Ho-jin would know, the viewer is also likewise convinced. The question - is soul possession possible, and if so, is Ho-jin really living within Dae-jin - which outside the confines of this movie may strike you as rather silly, is treated in all seriousness and therefore works a treat. The ending, which I will not reveal, is highly ambiguous and therefore fitting. The lead actors, Lee Byeong-heon as Dae-jin, and Lee Mi-yeon as Eun-su, are a perfect balance. Lee Byeong-heon in particular is quite amazing. His voice, his body language, his facial expressions, are all noticeably different when the transformation from Dae-jin to Ho-jin takes place. Lee Mi-yeon has an ethereal quality to her that makes Eun-su's struggle to believe all the more poignant.At 114 minutes, this is well worth your time.

pc95 I loved watched the Korean TV drama, "Terms of Endearment" from a year or so ago. This movie has the look and feel of a Korean TV drama. Problematic The acting at times shows through - as acting. There's an awful lot of smiling and mugging for the camera. Nevertheless I enjoyed the set up and wasn't really surprised by the "twist". This movie feels pretty clichéd and definitely contrived. The younger brother's character is identifiable and there are some good scenes with the 2 lead women. I was left wondering how the lead sister-in-law could actually not be angry or stomach the deception even though she was pregnant. Overall it wasn't too bad a movie. Good if you like Korean soaps, probably a little overlong if you don't.

ushiros Ho-jin (LEE Eol) and Dae-jin (LEE Byung-hun) are brothers in very good terms. They speak about everything to each other. The relationship has not changed after Ho-jin married Eun-su (LEE Mi-yeon). The three has made a happy family in the house in the suburbs which contains a workshop for Ho-jin, a carpenter, and a garage for Dae-jin, a car racer. But their happiness suddenly comes to an end and trials begin. On the same day at the same time, the brothers meet a car crash respectively -- Dae-jin during a car race; Ho-jin on his way to the racing circuit. They both fall into a coma, and one year later, only Dae-jin awakes from his coma. Dae-jin goes home, and he and Eun-su start the life without Ho-jin. Before long she finds the brother-in-law is somewhat different than he was. He waters the plants in the garden every morning, which was Ho-jin's part. He prepares dinner for Eun-su -- he didn't cook before; Ho-jin did. And he begins to repair furniture, saying that his fingers don't move like they did. Dae-jin tells her that he is Ho-jin. Eun-su cannot believe him. Does possession really happen? Has Ho-jin's soul taken over Dae-jin's body? But when she's inclined to accept him as her husband, more cruel trials are beginning. The twisted and detail-conscious story line has made the film soar beyond a simple possession story or a stereotyped romance. The performance of the two leading actors, LEE Byung-hun and LEE Mi-yeon is splendid! Especially Byung-hun's eyes are great. They shows purity and strong will at the same time. Without the eyes, the film might have not been a success. And Mi-yeon's ability of expressions is incredible. She's the kind of actresses who talk by their looks much more than words. When Dae-jin wants to enter her bedroom, or when she proposes him to talk together about Ho-jin and starts talking, the strained atmosphere build on the screen is enormous. (9 out of 10) - USHIRO Satoshi

Alain Eun-su and Ho-jin are a happy married couple, after a few years of marriage still exchanging love letters. They life together with Hi-jin's bother Dae-jin, who is addicted to his car and drives races for his profession.But this happy idyll is broken, after each of the two brother have an accident at the same time: Dae-jin has a car crash while racing and Hi-jin's taxi gets smacked by a truck.When Dae-jin wakes up out of the coma, it's not Dae-jin speaking, it's Hi-jin!This theme might sound familiar, but in this movie there are still some surprises waiting for you...It is really worth watching!