Esta Garota Encantadora

a synopsis as the narrative is slight, and secondary to Ji-su Kims extraordinary portrayal of a human beings inner space. Within minutes I had completely forgotten I was watching a work of fiction, I know of no other movie that explorers the interior life of its characters so intimately. Shot almost entirely with a hand-held camera, and with a restrained unobtrusive soundtrack, this movie follows Jeong-hye, an introverted post office worker through her day. As the story unfolds, this reserved and seemingly unemotional woman is shown to be a deep and complex personality deserving of our respect. Inspirational film-making of the highest calibre.

I sat for two hours loving this woman, and feeling sorry for her, hoping for her. That's what is supposed to happen when you watch a well-executed character study.

If you were to look up "boring art house film" in some film dictionary you might find the plot synopsis for This Charming Girl listed as the definition: The film follows Jung-hye's quiet life and reveals the landscape of the character's inner feelings.

Jung-hye has forged her own life out of simplicity and solitude as the result of some trauma earlier in her life. The film doesn't focus on what that trauma is or how Jung-hye may eventually resolve it. Instead, it focuses on the mundane life she has made for herself as a result. We watch her feed her cat, cook herself meals, go to a job at an uneventful workplace. This is not an action movie. It's an extremely slow burn that leads to one very intense scene which involves a knife. It's an intense scene not because anything crazy happens but because we can see all of the repressed emotions inside this woman come boiling to the top. And we can see this happening because Kim Ji-Su's performance is nothing short of phenomenal.

No use going into more detail about the events of the film. It's better to see them for yourself. If you like well-written, well-acted, meticulously directed character studies This Charming Girl is one of the best ones out there. Even though it is art house to the max, there isn't a pretentious moment in the film.

Well maybe this movie wasn't for me? I usually do like romantic comedies, what are usually referred to as 'chic flicks', and I love Asian cinema, particularly movies from Korea, and while I know this movie is referred to as a drama, I thought this would place me in good stead to enjoy this movie. Sadly it didn't. For me, watching this move was like watching grass grow. I got bored. Nothing really happened! I'm not into shoot em ups, not into action movies and usually love nothing more than to sit back and watch a movie about people, their relationships and emotions, but I couldn't help looking around for something else to do while this movie was playing. It just never got me involved or into it.

I watched this film at the Korean film festival in Berlin and i simply loved it, such a great detailed view over life of a post office worker , to show how complicated human beings can be , the suspense scenes , like the one with the knife , was really awesome . she also depicted a view over Korean modern big city life .

The existence of her dead mother gave the film a subtle surreal touch , and the minimalist detailed shots were quite amazing also . many people would find this film boring but to me it was one of the greatest Korean films I've ever watched .

a film to watch !!

My Charming Girl inserts the viewer into the life of a rather plain girl with bad skin, ugly hands and feet, a boring job, and mild schizophrenia. The movie is at pains to demonstrate her classic symptoms, complete with flat emotions, apathy, seeing imaginary people, and mild paranoia. Her symptom of increased suggestibility, demonstrated by her reactions to advice about shoes and marriage, provides the context for the climax of the film.

The camera lingers on every shot, creating in the viewer the languid mood of the girl. The cinematography is very good, and there are some visual touches, such as shop names and an image of a leering Colonel Sanders, that accent the film and foreshadow the plot development.

This is the kind of film that makes a good topic for a college essay, but is not particularly enjoyable to watch. However, it does provide a view into everyday life in Korea, which may be of interest.