Chelo - Notas de terror

First things first. The box for "Cello" has some of the most bad-ass cover art I've ever seen. It's sexy, bloody and instantly makes my wonder how the hell a horror flick can revolve around a cello. Quite honestly, I'm burning myself out when it comes to foreign horror. They're quickly becoming my favorite sub-genre, but man, do I miss the days when I didn't have to read or think so much. I'm actually becoming smarter watching horror movies and that's scarier then the films themselves. Moving on… "Cello" is about (what else?) a young cellist by the name of Mi-ju (Sung Hyun-Ah), who holds herself responsible for killing her best friend in a car accident. Fast-forward a few years later and Mi-Ju's life is finally back-on-track, or at least close to it. She has two beautiful children, a loving husband, a big house, a decent teaching career and a small waistline. She's got it all - too good to be true right? You bet your ass it is. Before you can fart out last night's dinner, Mi-ju's world begins to fall apart. Her students are constantly screwing with her, her sister's going crazy, terrible nightmares plague her sleep and her oldest daughter is becoming a human vegetable. Hey! - at least her waistline is stable. So is all this a coincidence? Probably not. Is a bitter spirit from the past coming back to seek revenge? Probably. What did she expect? Even in purgatory, the chick is still removing pieces of windshield from her face. Hopefully her tits didn't get hacked up too bad.

The opening of "Cello" embodies everything I love about Asian cinema. We have a beautiful girl sitting in her bedroom playing the cello, sliding the bow across the strings producing a beautiful melody. The camera slowly moves around the room, changing the focus between the foreground and background. Sounds peaceful right? Well, almost immediately we cut to a woman in an emergency room covered in blood. We see that she has been in some sort of accident and the doctors are struggling to save her from her already-decided fate. These shots are realistic and downright disturbing. It's funny; I can watch Jason Voorhees hack through a bloody plethora of terror-filled teenagers, but when the people are in a realistic situation, like a car accident, it's far worse to watch. Oddly enough, it's also very beautiful in a morbid sort of way. Asian films always seem to accomplish this and I'm very drawn to that.

Because of the dark, eerie cover art I just assumed that "Cello" was going to be a ninety-minute spook fest, very much in the tradition of Ju-On and Ringu. Man, was I was wrong! Director Woo-cheol Lee chose to focus more on story and character then the scares. (Uh-oh… there goes half the audience.) At first this was disappointing to me but of course – like with most Asian cinema - when all is said and done, the story development pays off in the end.

I was also surprised how non-atmospheric and bright "Cello" was. Most Asian flicks require a heavy-duty flashlight for viewing but not "Cello." A good portion of the film takes place during the day and if it's after-dark, then the characters are inside in well-lit rooms. They seem to be much 'brighter' than normal, too. We see them dressed in bright colors, joke around, dance and laugh. Basically act like regular people. This was such a refreshing change from the usual dark, gloomy characters that populate most Asian films.

The only qualm I had was with the pacing. Like I said, when the end credits started rolling I felt satisfied, but it was a slow ride at times. I was going to rate this flick a little lower because of this, but as I sat down to write the review I just kept thinking of several key sequences that really impressed me, the final shot of the film being one of them. I think with a higher scare factor "Cello" could have been one of my favorites. I really enjoyed this one.

Overall, I think most people will like "Cello." It's the classic Asian approach. You have a lot of story development, which can be slow at times and of course, an ending that will no doubt spark conversation. If you enjoy these types of films then you'll most definitely like this one. If you don't, then you probably won't. If you're new to Asian cinema, then I highly recommend you check out "Cello." It's a great introduction to the genre.

Motivation - this is one notion I kept thinking about after the film's completion: what were the creator's motivations behind the development of this movie, while at the same time, what was motivating Mi-ju (Hyeon-a Seong), the lead character, the directionality of her decisions been difficult to fathom, although I, at the same time, could postulate my own personal speculations. The film however never openly reveals 'she is doing this because...', leaving much room for an audience to contemplate.

By the end, Cello feels like a movie we have seen before, combining themes and ideas present in films like Wishing Stairs and Sometimes They Come Back, along with an assortment of unique and stereotypical genre tropes. The scares that are present are less of the 'jump' variety, and more of the 'gasp', the film never officially terrifying its audience. At the same time though, Cello is depressingly disturbing, not so much in its ambiance, but in its content, possessing a similarity to a Greek Tragedy.

The films begins with Mi-ju in a bloodied state in hospital. We can assume she has recently experienced a traumatic car crash from the indicative blurb, though, can we be sure? Cello is a lot like a compass. If 'north' led towards the most logical and cognitive plot, then Cello points everywhere else for the majority of the feature, causing the viewer to think deeply about what is happening, the answers that are slowly provided occasionally having the rug pulled out from under them, forcing the audience to again wonder what is happening. In this sense, the narrative progression of the feature cannot entirely be trusted, which acts as an intellectual stimulus.

After experiencing something horrific, which is slowly revealed over the course of the story, Mi-ju now works as a Cello instructor. In her spare time, she connects with her family: her husband Jun-ki (Ho-bin Jeong), her autistic daughter Yoon-jin (Ji-eun Choi), her youngest daughter Yoon-hye (Ji-hye Jin), and her sister in law Kyeong-ran (Bit-na Wang). Not long into the movie, Mi-ju buys Yoon-jin a cello which she fancies while at the shops, and her husband hires Ji-sook, a silent and mysterious housekeeper.

It initially proves difficult to decipher what of the many changes in Mi-ju's life is the catalyst that eventually leads to a malevolent presence invading her life, and that of her family. However, if she doesn't figure out what is happening, and soon, she may not have any family left. A story of love, family, jealousy, betrayal and revenge, Cello is a film that shows behind every smile is a past, as haunting as it is unforgettable, and though we might be able to leave our past behind, sometimes, it doesn't want to leave us.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that this movie was scary, but it was sure as heck bizarre!!!

So basically this movie is about a woman (a former cellist) with a mysterious past, involving a car accident, and all of a sudden strange and terrifying things begin to happen to her much beloved family. She has a husband who seems to love her very much, a sister-in-law that lives with them until she is married to her fiancé, a mentally impaired older daughter, and another younger daughter. She also teaches as a part time instructor and one day is threatened by a young student who received a poor grade in her class. No spoilers, so to find out more you have to watch the movie.

This movie had TONS of twists and turns, just when you think you've figured it out something new pops up and it throws you entirely off guard. Especially about the main character's past... you have been warned.

One thing I love about these types of movies is the beautiful cinematography, it's just absolutely gorgeous even in such a twisted and creepy movie such as this one. Everything just seems to flow so elegantly, something rarely achieved in American movies. I definitely recommend this movie for someone who enjoys a good creep fest, but don't recommend it to someone who is really squeamish towards blood.

A professor must contend with a vengeful student, a mysterious housekeeper, and the total annihilation of all he loves.

CELLO is a wickedly clever ghost story with more twists than a tangled slinky! The plot loops, and bends back on itself, creating a very disturbing / disorienting experience. Bloody and vicious, this is one creepy movie! Filled with "WTF?" moments, this film goes where -most- others fear to tread. Yep, there are kids in this one, and they're neither sacred nor safe! A superb South Korean shocker...

Despite the lukewarm reviews on Amazon and IMDb, I still decided to give "Cello" a chance. Why? Well, because it is a Korean horror movie, and I do enjoy Asian movies quite a lot. And I am glad enough that I did pick up this movie from Amazon.

The story in "Cello" is fairly straight forward for a horror movie, but it was refreshing not to have the stereotypical Asian ghosts lurk at every dark corner here in this movie - there is nothing particularly scary about an Asian girl in a white dress with long, black hair covering the face.

But back to the story at hand, Mi-Ju has survived a car crash, but she is haunted by her past. And things around her are starting to become strange and threatening as her past is catching up with her. With her secret hidden from her family, she has no one to turn to, and slowly, an encroaching darkness is creeping up on her family.

For an Asian horror movie, then "Cello" was rather unusual. That being said, I am not saying it is bad. It was a nice change of pace in the Asian horror genre to have a movie take this approach. But for a horror movie, then "Cello" was surprisingly devoid of scares and spooky moments. The movie isn't boring, but it trots along at a fairly level pace - a pace that some might find slow and dull. But it serves the story well, as it builds up suspense and it does reveal the storyline, one slice at a time.

The acting in the movie was quite good, not amongst the best I have seen in Asian horror movies, but it was good and served the movie well. People did good jobs with their given characters.

"Cello" is a good addition to any DVD collection that contains Asian horror movies. And if you are looking for an Asian horror movie that is not centered around the stereotypical Asian ghost, then "Cello" is a good choice.