Souffle

Kim ki duk gets his magic from his mysterious characters, and this is another example of that. I cannot guess whats going on in the character's mind and what they will do next.

Kim Ki Duk knows how to catch you. At the beginning, when you watch this movie (as when you watch other Kim's movies), you need some time...hold your thoughts, don't express your opinion yet, just wait. After a few minutes, you'll find yourself in another world, watching single details in the images, discovering colors, following characters you already love, and feel related to. "Breath" doesn't make any exception: the wife and the condemned become your friends, or relatives, and you feel their emotions, you are happy, and then sad, and then again happy, and in the end really sad. And you do it with these characters. Be careful, you'll bring them home after the show, and this movie (and its feelings), they wont leave you, for hours.

Filmmaker Kim Ki-duk, is widely known for his films that offer loads of violence. He has been Controversies favorite child. But, in his 2007 flick 'Soom' aka 'Breath', he tries his hand in an awkward, yet charming love-story, that hardly offers any bloodshed.

'Soom' is about love, redemption, sadness & lies. The lead characters share an outstanding novelty, when-ever they meet eye to eye. It's a tale of a notorious condemned criminal & a housewife. The emotions they discover, the love that is build, comes out brilliantly, at most parts.

The only shortcoming, is it's finale. It's weird, and leaves no impact. This 80-minute feature, offers 60-minutes of pure genius, but falters in it's final 20-minutes.

Kim Ki-duk delivers as a filmmaker. He has directed the film with complete understanding. The Cinematography is striking. The performances by all of the actors, are memorable.

On the whole, A film that is Worth-Watching, without a shed of doubt. It's so different, and so amusing at times, you can't help but like this attempt.

In the old silent movies, captions were needed even as the actors did their best to convey emotions, often (by today's standards) way overdoing it. The actors in "Breath" skillfully convey practically all we need to know about what is going on in their internal lives, without dialogue. There is, in fact dialogue--not a lot, just exactly enough. This is a daring and brilliant film, and, sorry to say, one that doesn't seem to appeal to many people. I find the film quite transparent, but reviewers seem stymied by the odd situation (a woman in a broken marriage goes to visit a stranger on death row to offer him comfort). What is so difficult about this? She feels as if she is dying so she reaches out to someone else who is dying, even before his sentence is carried out. DUH. How she reaches out is quirky; not for a moment did my attention flag. The relationship motif is enhanced by what transpires in the prison cell of the condemned man, which he shares with three other men, one of whom is in love with him. This is not a film for those who want everything laid out for them so that they don't have to participate in elucidating the meaning. However, for those who are willing to put together the few pieces of the puzzle in this spare and gorgeous film, the effort will be rewarding. I found the film deeply touching, painful, beautiful, and haunting.

South Korean author Kim Ki Duk is famous for the manner in which he takes an obscure idea to weave a convincing story around it.He is so good at his craft that even highly improbable ideas are transformed into remarkably good films which not only provide wholesome entertain but also make potent cultural statements about South Korean society.By making such socially relevant films,he reveals what kind of people South Koreans are.This is also the case with Kim Ki Duk's film Soom/Breath.It is a different matter if people start to take to heart the behavior of South Korean people based on his films.This is a film where viewers get to see a frustrated wife wearing her heart on her sleeve.After critically acclaimed "Bin Jip",this is the second film by Kim Ki Duk which talks about a neglected wife with a highly unusual end.A positive thing about this film is that despite initial differences matters are sorted amicably between a bickering couple.Tit for tat seems to be the film's message as Kim Ki Duk suggests that if a man cheats his wife, there are high chances that she would also do the same thing.