- Film Review
- Reviewed By Sloan Freer
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3 out of 5
Park Chan-wook wanted to follow up his brutal "vengeance" trilogy with a film that his young daughter could watch: this curious mix of fairy-tale-like fantasy and slapstick romantic comedy is the result. Although some of his trademark blood and profanities are in evidence, the story of a girl who thinks she's a cyborg certainly shows the Korean co-writer/director's playful side. Events are centred around a highly stylised psychiatric hospital, where factory worker Cha Young-goon (Lim Soo-jung) has been sent after an act of self-mutilation. She chats to vending machines and tries to eat batteries, gradually getting sicker from refusing "human" food. Only kleptomaniac fellow patient Park Il-sun (played by pop star Rain) can connect with her, using his own delusions to help. The director's extraordinary imagination is evident throughout, creating a charming and vivid experience. But his self-conscious wackiness sometimes undermines the narrative, making this more a patchwork of eccentric occurrences than a coherent feature.
Plot Summary
Comedy drama starring Lim Soo-jung and Asian pop star Rain. Cha Young-goon is admitted to a psychiatric hospital believing she's a cyborg. Surrounded by a host of equally colourful characters, she chats to vending machines and tries to eat batteries. Her unique behaviour attracts the attention of fellow patient Park Il-Sun and an unusual friendship slowly forms.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Cha Young-goon
- Lim Soo-jung
- Park Il-sun
- Jung Ji-hoon
- Choi Seul-gi
- Choi Hee-jin
- Shin Duk-cheon
- Oh Dahl-su
- Oh Seul-mi
- Lee Young-mi
- Wang Gop-dan
- Park Jun-myun
- Lee Dae-pyung
- Kim Choon-gi
- Sohn Eun-young
- Joo Hee
Crew
- Director
- Park Chan-wook
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