lreynaert
This movie begins with one of the most violent scenes ever shot: the rape of a spastic girl by a man with a feeble mind. However, by any standards, this movie is one of the most emotionally violent human love stories ever told. The rape turns into a love bond and the odd couple forms an oasis of love in an evil world, where there is no place for painted birds like handicapped people. More, feeble minds or spastic people cannot express themselves properly in order to reveal the truth or to defend themselves against false accusations. Their handicap is also exploited as a cover-up for the misdeeds of 'normal' members of their family. The acting is sublime with a formidable So-ri Moon in the role of the spastic girl.This movie with its violent emotional outbursts and highly charged confrontations is, by any standards, one of the greatest masterpieces ever shot. A must see for all movie lovers.
Alice Wakefield
mitsounob from Yokohama, Japan commented that the director made this film about communication, among other things. That's what it was largely about for me too.I'm thinking mainly of the scene where Jong-du and Gong-ju are both at the police station. When Gong-ju is being asked for her account of the incident, her sister keeps speaking for her. The policeman doesn't give Gong-ju time to speak for herself. One of the most difficult scenes for me is when Gong-ju repeatedly bashes herself against the cabinet to try to get somebody to listen to her. Similarly, her brother, when trying to reach a "settlement" with Jong-du's family, speaks for Gong-ju. When talking about how traumatised Gong-ju has been, he says, 'Just look at her'. As if she could never enjoy physical love.This brings me to the second theme of the movie, as far as I am concerned. The world is set up for people with a certain range of abilities. Which means that people who fall within this range can exploit people who fall outside of them. Which is exactly how Gong-ju and Jong-du are treated by their families.Jong-du is the fall guy for his brother, who has a family and a career and can't 'afford' to do time. To add insult to injury, Jong-du gets out of jail to find that his brother has moved, without leaving a forwarding address! Gong-ju's family similarly exploits her. Jong-du and Gong-ju are fairly forgiving of their families' despicable behaviour.My final comment on this film is that Gong-ju and Jong-du know their place in the world. They know not to even bother trying to convey the truth. In fact, I get a fleeting, disturbing feeling that their families are the only people whose behaviour towards them is a true and honest symptom of how the world really works.
heywood_jablomey
I'm not often compelled to write on IMDb. The film stays with you days after watching it. It's so heart-wrenchingly beautiful. There are scenes in it that just make you cry out loud and some that will make you laugh out loud. It's one of the rare movies where the director and cast are just working together in one beautiful unison, in perfect harmony. A masterclass in movie-making. The actress is so amazing playing a cerebal palsy afflicted girl, it's not patronising, it's the most human part I have seen in years. The actor is also extremely gifted, little nuances in his acting make his part breath more realisitically. Speaking of realism, this movie packs a punch. Get ready.
M Stanford
I have never seen these two actors, Kyung-gu Sol and So-ri Moon, until this film. I think they were both outstanding! His character was convincingly "off" -- just didn't perceive and behave in the way others expect him to perceive and behave, and so was ridiculed and dismissed because of that. I loved how the film allowed us to get to know him gradually. At the beginning of the film I identified more with the folks on the street whom he embarrassed, but by the end of the film it was clear he was a hero.So-ri Moon's character, I thought, was very convincingly played as a person with cerebral palsy. She portrayed the intelligence and full range of the character's emotions with striking authenticity. I found myself moving from a point of seeing her as a victim to seeing her as the full person that was her character. In fact, this was one of those rare films when not once did I think, "These are actors, acting." The direction was outstanding. I loved the scenes showing her fantasies as an able-bodied woman. It was a very effective way to help an able-bodied audience identify with her character, and come to understand and empathize with the isolation, belittlement, and objectification that differently-abled people are often subjected to. I especially liked the playful scene on the bus. But my favorite scene of all was the last one, showing her in her apartment, now well lit, clean, with green growing things, with his voice over. Even though the film did not have the expected and wished-for happy ending, the ending was a happy one.
AD
