Score 6.7/10
!*SPOILERS*! !*SPOILERS*! !*SPOILERS*!
It's refreshing that our protagonist has Alzheimer's Dementia yet isn't portrayed as some pitiful victim of the condition. Byung-su's mind was disappearing, but his body...his hands were still finely attuned to the act of murder as though it were a natural reflex.
Age, injuries from an old car accident, and his love for his 18 year old daughter deter him from murdering anymore. Murder, as he described, came naturally to him. He was born that way. He murdered those that he considered to be scumbags, he was taking out the trash. His victims were bad people who didn't deserve to live. So, Byung-su begins to type a detailed memoir of his life and crimes.
It is said by his caregiver that her prayers were answered by his worsening condition, he could now forget the terrible things that he had committed and be naive and innocent like a child again.
When journalists report several deaths that were similar to his own m.o., Byung-su begins to wonder if he's the culprit. Is he murdering again without any memories of the events?
He travels to an exceptionally remote bamboo forest where he once buried his victims in order to investigate. As fate would have it, he's involved in a car accident in this very isolated area. Blood drips from the damaged rear-end of a young man's car, and inside the trunk Byung-su see's a duffle bag soaked in blood. He slyly swabs the blood with a napkin in order for his police officer pal to examine it. The other driver (Tae-ju) explains that it's a dead deer. Byung-su knows Tae-ju's lying and he's a copy-catting fellow serial killer.
Byung-su struggles to differentiate reality from fantasy. Delusions, black-outs and hallucinations dominate his failing consciousness. He utilizes a hand-held recorder to capture important events and conversations. The audience experiences his confusion and fantasies just as Byung-su does. It is something like an LSD trip. Sometimes he's lucid, yet his memory is foggy at best. He experiences many flashbacks but cannot be certain if his recollections are accurate. Sometimes our suspicious antagonist seems trustworthy and innocent. He's employed as a police officer and begins dating Byung-su's teen-aged daughter. He treats her very well and the pair fall madly in love. Byung-su is far from enthusiastic about this.
This film may be confusing ride for many people, but it's a treat to be able to experience the world as a person with this condition does. It was well done and comprehensible in my experience. what's real, what's just paranoia? This film really demands your attention, I did this and wasn't too confounded by it.
This is a Korean film and the dialogue is Korean. There are accurate English subtitles. The acting is so superb that subtitles aren't even warranted for some scenes. Emotions are expressed very well through body language and voice tone.
The fight scenes and one of the car accident scenes were very intense. They were so intense that I can't imagine the actors (or stunt doubles) walking away without significant injuries. The director did a good job choosing locations and provoking strong performances from each actor/actress. The special effects and makeup artists fullassed it, their attention to detail was obvious by a raw realisticness. It's visually interesting and what we see of the landscape is fairly well done. Camera work was fine with ideal placement and adequate lighting. There's little to no music, and gore isn't excessive. The gore we do see is informational, helping the story to move along.
The story is engaging but has numerous plot holes. For example: How and when he acquired Eun-hee (his "daughter") is never explained. We can only assume that her parents were rotten people that he did away with, and he "adopted" their little toddler. It's all- together a nicely produced Asian thriller that I'd certainly recommend to friends.
!*SPOILERS*! !*SPOILERS*! !*SPOILERS*!
It's refreshing that our protagonist has Alzheimer's Dementia yet isn't portrayed as some pitiful victim of the condition. Byung-su's mind was disappearing, but his body...his hands were still finely attuned to the act of murder as though it were a natural reflex.
Age, injuries from an old car accident, and his love for his 18 year old daughter deter him from murdering anymore. Murder, as he described, came naturally to him. He was born that way. He murdered those that he considered to be scumbags, he was taking out the trash. His victims were bad people who didn't deserve to live. So, Byung-su begins to type a detailed memoir of his life and crimes.
It is said by his caregiver that her prayers were answered by his worsening condition, he could now forget the terrible things that he had committed and be naive and innocent like a child again.
When journalists report several deaths that were similar to his own m.o., Byung-su begins to wonder if he's the culprit. Is he murdering again without any memories of the events?
He travels to an exceptionally remote bamboo forest where he once buried his victims in order to investigate. As fate would have it, he's involved in a car accident in this very isolated area. Blood drips from the damaged rear-end of a young man's car, and inside the trunk Byung-su see's a duffle bag soaked in blood. He slyly swabs the blood with a napkin in order for his police officer pal to examine it. The other driver (Tae-ju) explains that it's a dead deer. Byung-su knows Tae-ju's lying and he's a copy-catting fellow serial killer.
Byung-su struggles to differentiate reality from fantasy. Delusions, black-outs and hallucinations dominate his failing consciousness. He utilizes a hand-held recorder to capture important events and conversations. The audience experiences his confusion and fantasies just as Byung-su does. It is something like an LSD trip. Sometimes he's lucid, yet his memory is foggy at best. He experiences many flashbacks but cannot be certain if his recollections are accurate. Sometimes our suspicious antagonist seems trustworthy and innocent. He's employed as a police officer and begins dating Byung-su's teen-aged daughter. He treats her very well and the pair fall madly in love. Byung-su is far from enthusiastic about this.
This film may be confusing ride for many people, but it's a treat to be able to experience the world as a person with this condition does. It was well done and comprehensible in my experience. what's real, what's just paranoia? This film really demands your attention, I did this and wasn't too confounded by it.
This is a Korean film and the dialogue is Korean. There are accurate English subtitles. The acting is so superb that subtitles aren't even warranted for some scenes. Emotions are expressed very well through body language and voice tone.
The fight scenes and one of the car accident scenes were very intense. They were so intense that I can't imagine the actors (or stunt doubles) walking away without significant injuries. The director did a good job choosing locations and provoking strong performances from each actor/actress. The special effects and makeup artists fullassed it, their attention to detail was obvious by a raw realisticness. It's visually interesting and what we see of the landscape is fairly well done. Camera work was fine with ideal placement and adequate lighting. There's little to no music, and gore isn't excessive. The gore we do see is informational, helping the story to move along.
The story is engaging but has numerous plot holes. For example: How and when he acquired Eun-hee (his "daughter") is never explained. We can only assume that her parents were rotten people that he did away with, and he "adopted" their little toddler. It's all- together a nicely produced Asian thriller that I'd certainly recommend to friends.