Memories of Murder

(Salinui chueok)
Bong Joon-ho, South Korea, 2003
3 out of 4 stars

This film takes us to a rural Korean village in 1986, where a uniformly incompetent and undertrained police force is fumbling about, attempting to find a serial murderer. Korean film is somewhat famous for its unlikely mix of comedy and melodrama, but Memories of Murder manages to combine these elements very organically (moreso perhaps than Bong Joon-ho’s follow-up film, The Host, although I think ultimately that film is more rewarding). Much of this film’s effectiveness comes from setting up the usual oppositions, in this case between the oafish, out-of-shape local policeman and the suave, professional detective from Seoul, and then gradually undermining our expectations as things progress. Meanwhile, characters who initially seem indistinguishable gradually distinguish themselves in often-shocking ways.

Indeed, the filmmakers have clearly set out to shine a light on the incompetence of these rural cops, but the film clearly shows that it was not so much a failure of will, but rather more of a structural problem. The abuse of power that the police frequently engage in is subtly put into a larger political context by occasional scenes of military force and pointed comments, one of which is particularly devastating and therefore best left unspoiled (it might help to know that South Korea was still under a dictatorship during this period, but I think even if you were ignorant of this fact, you would be able to gather it from the scenes I’m referring to). Once again, I thought that the political barbs were a bit subtler than in Bong’s later film.

You might still be wondering where the humor comes from, and how it can possibly be appropriate. I think it works because of the gap between what the police want to accomplish and what they are actually capable of accomplishing, considering the significant structural limitations they are operating under. I certainly found this picture to be much more valuable than my the "typical" serial killer film, at least as I understand it (I rarely watch films about this subject), as it addresses much larger issues than the usual cat-and-mouse game. That said, Zodiac is certainly an even-better attempt at broadening the genre, and it is made with greater technical and creative flourish. Memories of Murder is well-done, but it didn’t always hold my interest, although it’s hard to say exactly why.

Source: UMVD DVD
31 Aug, 11:45 PM

The Best of Youth

(La Meglio Gioventú)
Marco Tulio Giordana, Italy, 2003
Three and a half stars

This epic six-hour film (more of a television miniseries actually, but its quality apparently netted it some festival showings and distribution, in two parts) tracks an Italian family from the 1960s to today. While there were clearly references to pieces of historical background that I wasn’t able to pick up on, overall this film does a good job of portraying a “slice of life” for Italy during most of the postwar period. Because Marco Giordana has so much room to breathe due to his running time, he is able to fully develop a wide variety of characters and themes, none of which end up seeming shallow or insubstantial. Although he uses these elements to comment on modern Italian historical and cultural phenomena, he doesn’t make the mistake of boiling his characters down into mere allegories. The result is a very rich, nuanced viewing experience, and while you may find yourself more interested in some plotlines than in others, Giordana has nonetheless created a wonderful tapestry that is well-worth your time (although you may well choose to watch it in multiple installments, as I did and as the original Italian TV audience did).

Source: Buena Vista DVD
9 August, 10:40 PM

Infernal Affairs II

(Mou gaan dou II)
Andrew Lau & Alan Mak, Hong Kong, 2003
3 out of 4 stars

What a tangled web a studio can weave when they realize they desperately need to make some money off of a sequel to a film that didn’t need one. That’s not to say that this is bad, but it would strike me as an ordinary film even if I hadn’t seen the extraordinary film that came before. This “sequel,” despite the number, is actually a prequel, but it doesn’t so much fill in the blanks as muddy up the waters; it’s often confusing, it’s not always clear if some of the new backstory really squares with the depictions we saw in the first one, and some of the more glaring questions are left unanswered (possibly for film number three). The young replacements the mole characters, previously played by Tony Leung and Andy Lau, are certainly not up to the task. Thankfully, the movie works because Anthony Wong and Eric Tsang reprise their roles as the respective cop and mob boss, and it is quite interesting to learn about a relationship between them that, from what I recall, was far from obvious before. I certainly wouldn’t recommend watching this before the first one, despite the chronology, but I imagine it is worth satisfying the likely thirst for more that you will most likely have after watching the previous film.

Source: Mega Star DVD
6 June, 3:15 PM

Crimson Gold

(Talaye sorkh)
Jafar Panahi, Iran, 2003
3.5 out of 4 stars

It’s positively amazing what you can sometimes get with non-professional actors, basically playing themselves, especially compared to the many times that real actors flub things entirely. This film follows the sad trajectory of a disaffected pizza delivery driver in Tehran, but while his journey is rooted in reality and presented, aside from the cuts from one scene to another, in something much like real time including all the boring waiting periods (and without the comforting style of similar scenes in Chinatown), the story itself is almost fantastical, probably in part because the people Hussein meets are, to no small degree, more symbolic than anything. The story is heartbreaking and the visuals held my interest without being flashy in the least. Most interestingly, director Jafar Panahi provides us with a removed, rational view of modern Iranian society even as he shows his considerable skill in unobtrusively guiding us along with one man’s unfortunate journey.

Source: Wellspring DVD
28 June, 9:11 PM

Since Otar Left

(Depuis qu'Otar est parti)
Julie Bertucelli, France / Belgium, 2003
3 out of 4 stars

This film presents a somewhat clichéd plot about concealing something from a family member for her own good, set off by the fact that it takes place in a little-known country, Georgia, is shot with emotional and artistic honesty, and contains a striking performance by a 95-year-old woman! And although I could see the beginning of the “deception” plot coming, there was at least one twist near the end that I did not anticipate, although I wasn’t entirely blown away by it either. The final twist was a lot easier to anticipate, but then, I think that was deliberate. Definitely an interesting depiction of the other side of the disaporic experience, specifically, those who are “left” behind. Not entirely exceptional, but certainly worthwhile.

Source: Zeitgeist 35mm print
23 May, 7:30 PM

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring

(Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom)
Kim Ki-duk, South Korea / Germany, 2003
3.5 out of 4 stars

A very beautiful film (especially in the first “spring” segment), clearly loaded with entrancing but elusive Buddhist imagery. As in his subsequent film, 3-Iron, Kim Ki-duk makes very effective use of silence (not always, but for the larger portion of the film), without leading to snores. Compared to the many films I’ve lately been describing as “good, but I didn’t get it,” I generally preferred the segments that I did get here. Even though it is about a very particular set of religious and cultural practices (and who knows if it’s portrayed accurately), I found most of the film to be accessible, which was why it was a bit tiresome when the climax, such as it was, was a largely unexplained hike up a hill. Actually, I suppose it wasn’t that hard to figure out, but it just seemed to lack an impetus, which you couldn’t say for the rest of the film. Overall, however, a strong effort, a movie that has a point but is also very serene, in a good way.

Source: Sony DVD
8 May, 9:16 PM

Oldboy

Park Chan-wook, South Korea, 2003
4 out of 4 stars

Much as when watching A History of Violence, I expected to be grossed out by, well, the violence, but instead I was grossed out by… well it’d be a major spoiler if I told you. A lot of the violence isn’t even in your face at all. This is one of those movies that you would recommend to everyone except that you might get in trouble if you imprudently recommended it to more sensitive souls. I am not an entirely jaded person and so this movie did come close to making me sick, at least psychologically (it’s hard to explain). However, unlike some cheap horror film, the revulsion here is well earned because the characters matter and whatnot. Aside from that, it’s stylistically brilliant.

Source: TLA DVD
5 February, 9:40 PM