301, 302

A thin but attractive writer has suddenly gone missing and the only suspect appears to be her comely neighbor in Cheol-su Park's "301/302." The central fascination of "301/302" deals with two decidedly different women – one an extrovert, one an introvert – whose lives have been corrupted by food: the chef (Apt. 301) based most of her husband's affections and later her own inadequacies of providing exceptional meals while the anorexic writer (Apt. 302) can't shed the memories of her sexually abusive father – who worked as a butcher – and refuses to eat as a consequence. Now divorced, 301 meets 302 and transfers her love to her new neighbor, trying against all odds to get the thin, pale woman to eat her meals.

The film has several plot inconsistencies that are never cleared up. 302 appears to have virtually no contact with anyone except for the occasional telephone call from a mysterious editor/writer/friend, but yet the very morning after her disappearance the police have gone looking for her. An unnamed building resident last witnessed 302 going into 301's apartment, but the hallways are always empty and void of other people. Then, in the film's final moments, it becomes clear that 301 has adopted some of 302's physical appearance, cutting her hair to match that of the thin writer; given her desire to eat and eat and eat, why would she suddenly choose to adopt the looks of one who abhorred eating? However, in the broader recipe, these points aren't significant. What matters most is the relationship these two women have with one another and their past lives. Their respective histories are told in effective if not alarming flashbacks, and, despite their differences, it becomes thematically clear why they would be inevitably drawn to one another in the unique environment created by the filmmaker. The viewer can see the conclusion coming, but, like preparing a good meal, it's really more about eating than it is the cooking.

It's an odd relationship, but – if not predictably – these two women are destined to be together. Only 301 can fix 302's problems … with a solution that isn't exactly a five-star dessert.

Psychological Foreign (Korean) Thriller

Stimulating cinematography, foreign artistic humor, unconventional yet identifiable characters, cohesive character development and interaction, slow start.. interesting movie.

Humorously misleading packaging (US Version) DVD case reads something along the lines of, "food, sex, and humor" with an image of lovemaking and Korean food. Yes, these are the core themes of 301, 302 but to label this movie as just that for an unprepared audience.. well that's like serving up a plate of stinky tofu and describing it as "healthy Asian food." I absolutely love it, it's genius.

This is a masterpiece, but if I had known the end, I would have NEVER watched it. The movie is a story about two lonely frustrated women, one intelectual and another housewife. One a habitual eater, and another slim and anorexic. And, well, instead of lesbian relationship (which someone else would put in the movie) we have... well you will see... Just a warning: DO NOT EAT NOTHING prior to watching the movie.

This film is such a delight. This was the first Korean film I watched. The second one to follow was "Gojitmal" (Lies). If you've seen these two films then you would understand what I mean when I say "Korean cinema is Weird!". But ofcourse that changed after I continued watching other Korean films. But back to 301, 302: A very well written and directed film. Pay attention to the lighting and set decor as it really adds to the story. I enjoyed this film very much and it really helped me because I was trying to lose some weight around that time and after seeing this film I did not have to worry about my appetite anymore. I highly recommend seeing it. The director did another great film called "Push Push" which I also highly recommend.

Very dark and mysterious film that interweaves a relationship between two neighbors, and a present day investigation. The screenplay is pondersome, and yet deliberate, in feeding (pardon the pun) the viewer certain amounts of information at a time. We get to know the characters, and exceptionally so, their quirks. The atmosphere is very dark, and claustrophobic, which adds so much to the film. The memories are haunting. It would be very hard not to talk about this movie after viewing it. Creepy, and at times, rather darkly funny, 301/302 is an offbeat choice very worthy of your consideration. Recommended.