Cello

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.

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...

Cello is an atmospheric, emotionally-driven psychological horror/drama from South Korea. It's basically about a woman with traumatic events in her past that come back to haunt her and her family. 

I call it a horror/drama because it has its frightening moments, but a large part of the movie is devoted to the relationships between the main character, Mi-ju and her autistic daughter, and the past relationship of Mi-ju and her very close friend, Tae-Yeon. I found myself caring a lot more about the characters (and any potential danger to them) in Cello more than I usually do in horror movies, because so much time was devoted to developing them as people and not just kill-fodder. There are so truly horrifying moments in this movie, which gives it a heft and impact that goes beyond just visceral thrills. Cello is a very sad film, and that wouldn't have worked at all without characters that you actually care about.

It's not hard to figure out what's going on with the story, as Mi-ju seeming falls prey to either a malevolent ghostly presence or her own crumbling mind, but fortunately the plot throws enough curves to keep even veterans of the genre from being able to predict everything that's going to happen. 

Put plainly, I liked Cello. It was somewhat different from the recent horror movies I've seen, and undeniably well-made. I recommend it.

I liked this movie. I'm not sure why they called it Cello, because it's the characters in the movie that really make it scary and not the instrument. But, it is directed by Lee Woo-Chul, a music director, and he really does use the music effectively to create this creepy ominous vibe. He also makes the movie look good too (there's a lot of cool imagery) and it comes off almost looking somewhat like a longer version of a scary music video. Maybe that's what they decided to name it after an instrument. Anyway, it's about this woman, who is a really great cellist, and she just wants a peaceful life after surviving a car crash that killed her best friend. So she decides to give up a professional career in music in favor of teaching college students and her daughter how to play. Well, once her life appears to regain a sense of normalcy, of course you know that that's just the quiet before the storm. Suddenly, one of her students attacks her, her sister in-law develops a wacky obsession with her fiancée, and the new housekeeper – lets' just say the woman will scare the crap out of you! Plus, her daughter develops some serious issues, including a nasty biting habit. There are plenty of scary women in this movie and they had me jumping several times. That's why I reiterate it's the characters that you have to watch out for. Before I saw it I thought it was about this haunted instrument or something. The acting is good, and the music really does add to the jump factor. Basically, it's a really fun movie to watch late at night…with the sound up loud. I recommend it!

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.