Yoga hakwon

When I first saw an advertisement for this movie on the internet I thought it looked kinda – well – dumb. How exactly do you take something like yoga and make it exciting? I suspected that the concept would be fairly shallow and that there would be too much dead weight and/or uninteresting filler material to make it an entertaining film. In addition, I had reservations about what kind of horror sequences could possibly be implemented. Needless to say, I skipped out on a blind buy for a while but eventually took the plunge when curiosity got the best of me. Most fortunately, "Yoga Institute" (2009) turned out to be an enjoyable horror film.

The way it does this is to implement a very interesting main theme: vanity and the striving for perfect beauty. In some ways "Yoga" is similar to films like "Dumplings" (2004) and "Time" (2006) because of their shared amalgamation of vanity and horror, as well as their common focus on communicating the lengths to which some will go to obtain beauty. Of course, the protagonists in "Yoga" are not quite as crazy as the characters in the aforementioned films, but they do have their moments of instability within the confines of the privately owned institute that they visit to perform their week-long series of intense yoga training. While none of these characters are especially complex, they are sufficiently developed to earn the viewer's interest.

Another important scriptwriting decision that makes "Yoga" more interesting than it should be is the introduction of a form of witchcraft. This witchcraft element is shown in more of a subtle manner than one might expect because it's not explicitly referenced at any point, yet is clearly the cause behind the beautification process as well as the nasty ramifications that befall those characters who do not follow the strict guidelines and rules laid forth by the institute's madam. This, of course, leads to some cool horror sequences that completely avoid most genre clichés like ghost girls, human-inflicted torture, and loud jump scares. There's ample use of creepy sound effects (like snake noises) and chanting to give a sinister vibe. The witchcraft angle just seems like a great decision by the filmmakers because it allows the film to breath life into the whole yoga premise.

With regards to the production quality, "Yoga" is what we've come to expect from the South Korean film industry. The yoga institute itself is a private mansion with very elegant architecture and spooky interior designs that add a lot to the visuals and atmosphere. The acting is solid for the most part and the camera-work is first-class (especially those close shots of hot girls twisting their bodies in all kinds of dubious positions).

The ending is a bit of a mind-boggler, but those looking for something different and fun might want to check "Yoga" out.

Vanity has a massive role to play in the South Korean horror film Yoga, which accurately encapsulates how physical beauty, in any society, is hailed as one's most prominent feature, which is unfortunately especially true for women, and is reflected in the, almost, all female cast of this feature. The lack of compassion, amidst the competitive tension, reveals how two dimensional the media can be, while additionally demonstrating the self-centered nature some people exude.

Hyo-Jung (Eugene) is lucky enough to be blessed in many aspects of her life, though her lack of any contingencies only adds to the negativity of the situation when her life takes a turn for the worse. While out with friends, she happens upon Seon-Hwa (Rie Young-Zin), whom she used to relentlessly intimidate, when younger, for not exhibiting similar attractive qualities, an aspect of the plot that deserved additional attention to further reveal its emotional depth. The film, it seems, is not without a sense of irony. Losing her occupational position to a younger, more beautiful colleague, Hyo-Jung's dismay only grows when she learns the friend she used to antagonize so much has miraculously changed into an indescribable beauty.

Hyo-Jung's jealousy and spite only inflates her ego, thus causing her to reject boyfriend Dong-Hoon (Daniel Choi), the only person in her life whose affection was unwavering. A man with an avid fascination for old movies, this is well integrated into the plot as he begins to investigate a director he holds much admiration for. This part of the narrative has a direct connection with what Hyo-Jung begins to experience later, this uniquely entertaining back-story containing elements of film-noir, that would make any fan of the genre positively bounce. However, further attention was a requirement to make this particular sub-plot stand out, the film later abandoning the exploration of this segment, the lacking contextualization being very disappointing, especially since its tense introduction was so well executed.

A chance encounter with Seon-Hwa leads Hyo-Jung to be recommended a week long retreat at a strange yoga studio, where one of the lucky few women attending the clinic will be provided absolution in the form of the Kundalini, and in so doing, will be able to retain their youthful gorgeousness. The fact each of the women are impressively attractive exaggerates how each of the characters have been indoctrinated by their peers, and by the media, into believing they no longer retain their beauty, and the lengths some of these women are willing to go to strive for supposed perfection, in itself is quite frightening, though at the same time, honest. Ideologies concerning power, faith and deities are loosely explored during the intensive, and perhaps it is this writer's ignorance on the subject of yoga, but I was unable to discern if this was just developed in regards to the plot, or if this legitimately coincides with the exercises.

While undertaking the yoga intensive, the women are warned against contacting the outside world or disclosing what transpires there to others; consuming food at specific hours; showering or bathing during a one hour period after exercises; or looking at mirrors, the breach of any one of these rules being enforced with harsh penalties. These strict guidelines are handed to them by the beautiful, yet strange yoga master Nani (Cha Soo-Yeon), whose character deserved further explanation as to ascertain her exact place in the supernatural plot.

The consequences for breaching the rules result largely in the disappearances of those responsible, and though we are occasionally shown the ramifications the women are forced to endure, for the most part, they simply disappear, kidnapped by disembodied entities. As the number of women vying for the perfect beauty are gradually reduced, vindictiveness begins to win out in the fiercely competitive climate, as certain characters attempt to fool others into breaking the rules.

Though some of the visuals are capable of disturbing the audience, the drabness of the setting furthering this, these aspects could have been strongly intensified. The most effective production element however is the use of sound: hissing, whispering, snapping - each of these are deeply immersive, continuously heightening the impression of impending danger, while the soundtrack atmospherically adds to the tension, making even the viewer feel as though they themselves are unsafe.

The film's climax is able to abundantly entertain, however the conclusion, which is very interpretative, is unable to resoundingly close the film. Despite blending elements of the thriller and horror genre together, the film rarely, succinctly, contextualizes the narrative of either, and despite the feature's ability to keep the audience guessing, the lacking definitive answers, or resolution, will leave many a viewer irritated.

Two characters stick in my mind for the creepiest in this film. The first would be Su-yeon Cha. Her character was really weird. She was like a doll, or puppet to the master of the Yoga. She barely showed any emotion and moved so slow it was uncomfortable. Then you have Eun-ji Jo who played a character addicted to food. She snaps at one point of the film and her giggle was really creepy. Who would of thought that Yoga could be turned into a horror film. You would think it would be pretty bad, but I actually enjoyed this film a lot. It was dark, creepy and the acting wasn't half bad. The story was even pretty good. The ending was not as amazing as I would want from a story like this, but it was still decent. They had some great scenes with the sounds of breaking bones. There is also some great visual scenes that will have you grind your teeth. Again, you may think this movie is bad, but it is a great horror film compared to the new ones you see now a days.

A group of women arrive at a yoga school in order to take a secret "intensive course" that is supposed to restore their youth and vitality in only a few days. There are rules, though, and breaking the rules leads to unfortunate and sinister consequences. 

Yoga has two things going for it. It's weird, which can be a good thing, especially with how derivative horror movies can be. And it has a cast full of beautiful Korean women, which is always a plus in my book. Other than those two things, though, Yoga has very little to recommend it. 

The biggest problem is that Yoga is simply boring. I watch a lot of Asian horror, but this is one of the least interesting that I've come across. It's not frightening or gruesome or shocking, there's no atmosphere of tension or menace, and no moments that make you cringe or wince. There was a lot of yawning and watch checking on my part, but those were really the only reactions that Yoga drew from me. 

Add the fact that this wholly dull movie has a very unsatisfying and frankly confusing ending, and there's no real reason for even the hardest of the hardcore Asian horror buffs to see this. Very disappointing.