M

M is a simple story of a writer, Min-woo, in search of his muse. Director Myung-se Lee tells it with a painter's instinct and a poet's dream logic. It's meant to be observed more than diagnosed, as one would a series of paintings in a museum. The story isn't difficult to take in unless you insist on wanting to know, definitively and with assurance, at every given moment, if what is going on is real or a dream, a hallucination, a memory, or simply muted perception. This isn't way-out-there and wtf like David Lynch even though it will likely conjure up comparisons. There is none of the creepy, challenging nastiness of Lynch whose fun and absurd stylings make appearances here but call attention to themselves gently, as they reflect and infuse the story.

M is lightly sprinkled with odd/absurd dialog throughout, but it's appropriate to the characters as they are drawn. Min-woo is an up and coming writer who can't write a word of his new novel as he suffers a massive dose of writer's block, sleepless nights, crazy editors, possible hallucinations, an oppressive sense that he is being followed—which he is—and the haunting memory of his long lost first love as she infiltrates his present reality. Yeon-hee Lee plays the long lost first love, Mimi, who doesn't seem to know anything about Min-woo except that she loves him very much. She is also being followed, in a twistedly logical sort of way, probably by Min-woo. She isn't sure, however, if it's in life or in death. Yeon-hee Lee brings a good-natured goofiness and a remarkable innocence to the film, her presence is a constant delight.

I wanted to applaud almost every scene in this movie. Director Myung-se Lee's attention to detail in setting up shots and how they are photographed and manipulated, his use of vivid colors and their changing saturation along with a generous use of black, the camera's movement during scenes and how the movement sets up transitions to new scenes, and how harmoniously, remarkably, the soundtrack keeps up with the intricate strangeness and beauty of the visual art—all these things push the boundaries of storytelling to its limits without being overambitious. Nothing about this film feels experimental because the control of the audio/visual terrain is so clearly, to the point of obsession, masterful.

First, I want to applaud the review by "sitenoise." That review is dead-on in providing an overview of the film and its strengths. This film is dreamlike, but it eventually settles into the brain and makes a poignant sense: the struggling artist is haunted and hung up by a bad relationship with his muse--the memory of a first love. Until he can "come to terms" (whatever that means) with his muse, he cannot write. A subplot involves the earthly woman who will be his wife: his obsession with his ghostly muse makes him distant and threatens the relationship. The muse seems to have a life of her own, is pursued by a shadowy figure, and wonders what she is doing in this tale. This is the general idea of the plot, but I know that repeated viewings will bring out many more nuances.

The immediate glory of the film is the magnificent cinematography. I had to watch this movie with the remote in hand, using the freeze-frame feature every few seconds. The images are breathtaking, and often flash rapidly in sequence. The director proceeds with the eye of an assured artist, and frames his scenes like an accomplished painter. I just kept saying "Wow," like an idiot. Beautiful!

I saw this film at TIFF in 2007 and hadn't been able to find anything about it till now. All I could recall is loving it, loving the "not sure what's doing on, but will just go with it", the cinematography, lighting, pace, and characters. This is exactly my kind of film., and unfortunately one that more people should see but won't. The previous reviews are on target. Find this film, watch it, tell others! It's brilliant.