I saw this film at the Berlinale 2013 film festival, where it was part of the official Competition. What we saw happening was interesting enough to keep us awake all the time, but the narrative was overly complex and particularly the who-is-who was not always easy to follow. Old intimate relationships got easily mixed up with new ones, thereby also crossing age gaps and other lines that ought to be respected.
This is the case for instance with one of her professors, which relationship should be a no-go area for more reasons than age difference alone. She had an abundance of intimate relationships in the recent past, all of them (literal quote) "going all the way through" (free translation: slept together). Her promiscuity is something her friends frown upon, especially where it involves director Lee. That relationship broke up a year ago, but both still have troubles letting it go.
Her sudden meeting with a professor from abroad, her pondering about leaving the country with him (in spite of knowing him only from that occasion), even mentioning these rash future plans later on against some of her friends, all of this is getting me so far as to take the hint from the synopsis on the festival website, saying that it all of this may be something she is dreaming, and nothing more than that. We see her a few times asleep in broad daylight, like in the library, at moments not fitting in the story line.
All in all, I see no reason to recommend this film. It is easy to sit through, and I had little reason to consult my watch. That is not my problem with it. However, none of the characters appearing in this movie suffice to get us viewers emotionally involved. It's all a bit abstract and remote what we see happening. The main character is also not very serious about her study, and wanders around while having love affair after love affair, so it seems.
This is the case for instance with one of her professors, which relationship should be a no-go area for more reasons than age difference alone. She had an abundance of intimate relationships in the recent past, all of them (literal quote) "going all the way through" (free translation: slept together). Her promiscuity is something her friends frown upon, especially where it involves director Lee. That relationship broke up a year ago, but both still have troubles letting it go.
Her sudden meeting with a professor from abroad, her pondering about leaving the country with him (in spite of knowing him only from that occasion), even mentioning these rash future plans later on against some of her friends, all of this is getting me so far as to take the hint from the synopsis on the festival website, saying that it all of this may be something she is dreaming, and nothing more than that. We see her a few times asleep in broad daylight, like in the library, at moments not fitting in the story line.
All in all, I see no reason to recommend this film. It is easy to sit through, and I had little reason to consult my watch. That is not my problem with it. However, none of the characters appearing in this movie suffice to get us viewers emotionally involved. It's all a bit abstract and remote what we see happening. The main character is also not very serious about her study, and wanders around while having love affair after love affair, so it seems.