Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
I know that Chan Wook Park has gotten a lot of column inches here at AICN, but I’m probably just as crazy about Kim Ki-Duk, whose film THE ISLE scarred me at Sundance in 2001 (and again at FanTasia that summer), and whose BAD GUY was one of my favorite moments of FanTasia 2003. I was out of town for the one week that SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER... AND SPRING played in LA this year, but as soon as it hits DVD, it will be mine. In the meantime, I can start getting worked up about his newest film, which this reader reviews for us today:
Hey Harry,
I haven’t seen anything on AICN on Kim Ki-Duks newest mental trip SAMARITAN GIRL so I thought I’d drop you the skinny on this one after witnessing it on screen in Europe. Everybody knows the drill by now, long time reader, first time poster, blah, blah, blah... And for all you talkbackers, I’m not a native English speaker so sue me. On to the review.
Kim Ki-Duk has once again delved into the uplifting subject matter of prostitution and the mentally scarred in his newest film SAMARITAN GIRL. The film basically tells the story of two teenage friends Yeo-Jin and Jae-Young who are financing their dream of going to Europe by sleeping with older men. I personally could think of probably easier ways to get to Europe but as this is Ki-Duk we are talking about, I am going to let this one pass for now.
* MILD SPOILER *
The more timid of the girls Yeo-Jin only acts as manager to the impulsive and care free Jae-Young who handles the customers and the real “business” involved. This delicate balance of friendship and trust between the girls is soon to be broken when avoiding arrest, Jae-Young ends up in a hospital with a cracked skull. Distraught, Yeo-Jin tries to clear her conscience by continuing where the girls left off by taking part in sexual acts herself, only to return the money earned earlier by Jae-Young. A true Samaritan indeed. Anyways, from here on we are introduced to Yeo-Jins caring father who just happens to be a cop and eventually finds out what her daughter has been up to after school hours and is naturally a bit upset. We then follow the girls and Yeo-Jins father through feelings of regret, loss, anger and in the end, redemption (well, at least sort of).
* END MILD SPOILER *
As can be seen Kim Ki-Duk is not avoiding controversial topics even in his newest feature as he mainly goes along the path of his previous work BAD GUY (plainly titled PIMP by the local MPAA where I come from) with a bit of THE ISLE and SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, WINTER thrown in. The only problem with SAMARITAN GIRL is that the film cannot really decide as to which path to follow. In the beginning we witness the girls’ naive look on the world without the slightest candor only to confront the father and his bottled frustrations. And by the time the end credits roll we have even taken some time to settle into a sweet father/daughter motif. I mean, considering the fairly short length of the movie plus the slow pace, it still manages to leave the viewer far from connecting with the main characters or the motives behind their actions.
On the good side having a story about child prostitution in the able hands of Ki-Duk could have easily turned into blatant exploitation (as most consider, BAD GUY walked a very thin line indeed) but this time Kim has been fairly considerate when distributing scarring images he is infamous for. Everything from violence to sex happens pretty much off screen and leaves much to the viewer’s imagination (which is probably a good thing depending on your personality). Besides the subject matter itself, the feminists (and animal activists) should be able to sleep at night even after seeing Kim Ki-Duks newest.
It is actually a shame that the film does not rise to its premise or provide us with any insight into the subject. The story kind of paces along and changes tone too many times to really build up real tension. None of the characters really hit home on an emotional level although the actors do a fine job considering the material given. Not that you would care too much anyways as irrationality is abound here, as has been pretty much the case in all of Kim’s previous films.
A lesbian back-story is hinted at but soon forgotten and a clear religiousness is present throughout the movie without contributing too much to the overall story arch. Everybody in this movie pretty much acts out of context and important plot points are revealed with the subtleness of a hammer to the head. At one point I thought the film was going to completely turn into a pure revenge story which Kim’s Korean counterpart Chon-Woo Park actually pulled off much better in his films than what was even hinted here.
So, to try and put this all into perspective, in THE ISLE this kind of storytelling did not bother too much as the characters were straight out of fantasy horror more than anything resembling reality. Everything almost made sense in its own twisted way by the end of that movie. ADDRESS UNKNOWN struggled with many main characters but did make you connect to each and everyone with a bit of black humour and a lot of insanity (not forgetting dog torture, always a crowd pleaser) thrown in the mix. BAD GUY was well, to put it nicely, out there from the first frame but at least it gripped you by the balls (no pun intended for those who have seen the film) from the start to the end and did not let go until its baffling conclusion. And I even liked that film. SAMARITAN GIRL tries all these things and does have its moments but ultimately fails, and as much as I would like to I am not the one to give an A for effort.
I think it would be fair to say that if anything, I did not expect to leave this film feeling empty and fairly inconsequential to what I had witnessed on screen. Even my inner child felt quite at ease considering what it has gone through with previous encounters with Ki-Duk. I think the sad part is besides the exploitative premise; the movie is frankly, very pedestrian in its approach to the subject matter.
It is like preparing to see ultimate fighting and watching professional wrestling instead. SAMARITAN GIRL seemed ready to put up a bloody fight but somehow ended up pulling punches and dodging blows, leaving me unscathed, emotionally detached and none the wiser in the process.
So there you have it, if you decide to post this, call me The Yellow Bastard.
Hmmmm... not exactly glowing praise. I’ll definitely check it out at the first opportunity I get, but maybe I should set my expectations accordingly, eh?
"Moriarty" out.
