I am a big fan of Asian cinema, and the South Korean cinema has an impressive track history. But, of course not every movie is going to be as good or impressive as the previous. "Sleeping Beauty" (aka "Seulliping byuti") from 2008 turned out to be nothing but impressive in my opinion.
Sure, director Han-na Lee set out to present something that is rarely seen in Asian cinema, and as such thumbs up on that courage and on that determination. However, the movie just lacked a proper foundation on which the seed could grow into something truly amazing.
"Sleeping Beauty" is an omnibus of three stories, each dealing with human nature, human feelings and how humans act and react in certain bleak situations. This, in itself, did have the potential for turning out as something great. But the director just didn't fully manage to captivate the essence and utilize it to its full potential.
The first segment is titled "Cousin" and it deals with two pre-teens whose families live together, and they are influenced by the actions of the adults around them. As such, the cousins set out to explore their budding sexuality together.
The second segment, "Hibernation", is about a hardworking woman who is taking care of a small duck farmstead as well as taking care of her father who is suffering from advanced dementia. Things are especially tough when the government force her to destroy the entire duck population because of avian flu, and then her father starts with sexual advancements towards her.
The third and final segment is titled "Princess". This is the story of a seventeen year old Chinese girl who is adopted into a Korean family. However, on the first night she is raped by the new father and is impregnated. She finds solace with the grandson of the family.
Right, well the three stories do deal with some taboo topics and these are rarely seen in Asian cinema. However, the stories are too shallow in terms of character development, presentation and an overall ability to captivate the audience.
Running at almost two hours, "Sleeping Beauty" was an uphill struggle to get through. It was really slow paced and just never really took fully hold. The stories all had potential, but the potential was just not utilized.
All in all, then "Sleeping Beauty" is not a South Korean movie that I can recommend that you sit down and watch. I am rating a mere three out of ten stars.
