deastman_uk

This visually impressive horror thriller is no masterpiece, and certainly unoriginal in the extreme but should lead to greater things for all concerned.

We are going to see a lot of survival tales before we get rid of the taint of Harvey Weinstein, and this is one of those. It isn't a chick flick per se - but most of the negative reviews will come from men as the male characters are only there to sell the progress of the heroine.

I think it is fairly brauvera storytelling despite this, with enough of a twist to guide you away from the few logistical plot holes. I'm no fan of horror, but this certainly improves on the truly terrible Hollow Man, and enough of the work is done in your head to make the bumps all the greater. It sells out to Hollywood style before it has to, but maybe next time something will take flight.

This is a bravura and surprising thriller, with a fancy modernist brutalist house as one of the leading stars. There is little doubt that as a loser family start to target a rich household, their early success cannot hold.

I'm a fan of Korean films anyway, and so was relaxed about the various styles this film goes through. While the film is totally accessible, there are still enough references to Korean and Asian society to make it a little demanding on the viewer - which is why the Oscar success was nicely surprising.

The film does not perfectly handle it's different layers - the political message and the moral message rather wrap around each other awkwardly. The pacing doesn't always work either - the direction is relaxed in the house but pokes around nervously outdoors.

This is not the best Korean film I've seen - Old Boy and I saw the Devil were superior - but the setup, cinematography and the sheer chutzpah of the plotting make it a sharp witted success. (I don't reference the classic Old Boy accidentally; that too was effectively a double layered film, and on reflection it was a little better at it.)

This Chinese film doesn't quite fall into Tartovsky or even David Lynch territory ( actually it is more in keeping with Momento) but it is obtuse enough to even confound an arthouse crowd. For technical reasons, the german film Victoria also comes to mind, as it also is largely based on a single tracking shot.

The dream that winds around itself with constant references - in some respects it may be easier to follow with subtitles, as it is harder for text to slip by you - produces some very strong cinematography that is at first shot by shot, followed at the end by a single take from a very young director - but clearly experienced camera crew.

After returning home, a man searches for either a lover, or a friend, but we are already in a dream world either inhabiting the past, or reliving the past. People are often ciphers for other people in this mis-remembered past, where most objects reappear elsewhere almost like an adventure game. There isn't too much heavy metaphor - although a broken watch for being stuck in time is pretty silly - so like every film these days, you probably have to see it again to pick up on everything. Honey, apples, green things, red things, ping-pong, cells, tunnels, winter, summer, dilapidation, trucks - loads of things are connected to and through the past in a recurring dream that you know won't go anywhere.