Sarajin sigan

'Sarajin shigan' (boringly retitled in English as 'Me and Me') has one of the most innovative and original plot threads I have encountered this year. To know anything about the film's plot beforehand, apart from what's written in the logline, will seriously diminish the joy of discovering the story's bold, unpredictable turns. The genre treatment is very refreshing too, since this is one of those movies that do not fall in any particular category. The basic premise is a rather supernatural fantasy, but the course of events tend to run like a satirical social drama, and there's always an air of mystery hanging in the atmosphere. And intriguingly, the film manages to knit all these together into a compelling narrative - a very praiseworthy job. But truth be told, maybe in the hands of a more experienced writer/director these ideas would have flourished to their full potential. There are a few instances where the scope of the narrative and plot threads run beyond the grasp of the director, resulting in some relatively weaker, confusing scenes, especially towards the end. Also, all the actors did great to turn this rather outlandish story extremely convincing.

A current trend among Korean films is to pick up plot elements from established genre structures (like horror, thriller, sci-fi) and remodel them into a completely different genre of filmmaking, thus conveying sociopolitical standpoints by subverting their origins. This film should rightfully be placed along with the best examples of that trend, for its ingenuity, if only its narrative craft were as good.

This movie starts out great. It's engrossing, capturing the viewer's attention and it holds that attention all the way through. We tolerate the confusing plot line because we naturally expect everything will be explained and resolved in the end. But then it isn't. It just... stops.

Perhaps some may see in this a complex, hidden-meaning morality story, but no, the Emperor has no clothes. This is just a poorly-written film. Which is a shame because the acting is superb, the directing is excellent, and the story keeps one's attention all the way through.

But then both writer and director betrays the audience by dropping a totally open ending right in our laps, no rhyme or reason for anything that happens. They don't even offer us a "what if?" ending, any conjecture, or any kind of explanation at all. It just thuds like a cow plop, leaving us to wish we hadn't just wasted time on such a senseless film.

Trying to see something in this film that isn't really there doesn't make it a good film. It winning some awards doesn't make it a good film. Anyone can write a nonsensical script and have good actors and a good director hold audience attention. Making that film actually tell a story and have a purpose-- that is what requires writing skill. Sadly, that is what is blatantly missing in this film. There's not even a hint of an ending, which makes this a waste of viewer time.

If only things had come together properly. It didn't and that's what is wrong with this movie. Things aren't explained and it feels incomplete. The first part draws you in with the mystery about the wife dissociating. Bae Soo Bin gets your sympathy from the beginning. Then there is a shift to the other actor. You want to keep watching to see how things are explained but it only partially satisfies.

"Me and Me" has a very creative storyline. Many moments in the first part of the movie occurred again in the second part - but differently. When I watched the movie the first time, I did not know what happened. So I watched it a second time. Then it all made sense. The title confused me at first, but after watching the second time, I understood the reasoning for both titles. The Korean title which is translated in English as "Vanished (or Disappeared) Time, and the English language title, "Me and Me" both have significant meaning. One reviewer did not understand why the English language title, but I think they are both meaningful. The cast was the best! I would watch this movie again.

I think this movie isn't all that bad, it's worth the watch, but I must say. Its not exactly what you will be expecting. The movie will keep you guessing, confused, and trying to figure out what's happening, and wondering if it can be fixed. The ending, was definitely a "wtf" moment, and perhaps a bit underwhelming, but the movie was meant to go for that emptiness. Considering the Korean name of the movie is disappeared time, and that's exactly what the ending makes you feel. Which isnt necessarily a bad thing, but what I will say, leaves you questioning what happened even after the movie ended. It was interestingly put, and a different type of ending than I was expecting, and I don't necessarily hate it for that. I just want to say if you're considering watching this, lower your expectations, and don't expect anything, don't assume, just watch, and let the movie be itself, for everything it is and everything it isn't.