9. Il Mare

“Do you know what it's like to care too much
'bout someone that you're never gonna get to touch”

Hey Man (Now You’re Really Living) – The Eels.

Welcome to the first of these movies that deeply affected me.  And not surprisingly, we are not talking about a horror movie, and we are back off to Korea.

Now I am not a big fan of romance films.  Maybe the odd romantic comedy.  But full blown romance, no. 

Thing is – you are going to find at least three films on this list that are going to fall into this category (but the others will probably be considered rom-com).  And this is how Asian Cinema has affected me.

We have all been in love right? In love with someone unreachable. Someone out of our reach, whether they are geographically too far away, or they travel in different circles, or they don’t even know you are alive – or worse of all – they don’t even think of you that way!

Well imagine you were separated by 2 years of time.

And that, dear reader is the central promise of this film, and which is why IMDB places Il Mare within a sub-genre of “sci-fi”.

It sounds silly written down, but the two leads share so little screen time in his film.  She (the wondrous Jeon Ji-hyun) lives two years in the future from Him.  They communicate via a mysterious postbox, which enables them to share letters, and more besides.

But this is not an American movie.  The two don’t bicker, hate each other, then realise they love each other.  No, this is a story about a young man who learns to respect his father only when he has gone, about a woman who can’t let go of a failed relationship she is so obviously better off without, about a friendship that blossoms despite obstacles.

Obstacles like two years of time and death.  Little things like that.

I am not going to put any more of a synopsis in here, I think I have captured enough for you to understand.

The ending is bittersweet.  In some ways the previous two hours are lost, but we the audience think and hope that things will turn out ok in the end. Then again they might not.

I do have a single criticism.  Without giving too much away, there is a critical event near the end of the film, which is suddenly exposed, never hinted at or suggested previously.  Now, one could argue this is the event which actually triggers the whole film into existence, but for me I found it to be too much to be unleashed on me far too late in the film.  But as I say – a very minor blemish.

This film was given a US remake (which i have seen mixed reviews, and it looks as though they took the central idea and wove a slightly different story) – I don’t care.  Don’t want to see it.

But DO see this film.  Enjoy the ambience.  Enjoy its beauty.  Don’t worry too much about the details.  Just remember that girl or boy you could never have.

8. Cure

Welcome back.  For this posting we are popping back to Japan.  This was not my original plan, but I realised I was about to spend a lot of time within Korean Cinema for the next few posts, and I wanted to introduce you to my love of the films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

And no – he is not THAT Kurosawa. Not even related.  Anyway – we’ll get to him later.

Remember the early 1990’s when serial killer movies and books became all the rage? Silence of the Lambs and Se7en are the two that fascinated me, which is why when I heard about a Japanese Silence of the Lambs, I was so there!

However Cure/Kyua is really quite a different beast.

Through its cinema, Japan appears to be a cold, hard, emotionless place to live – although I suspect this is for people of my generation (30-40 something's).  Tied to rituals and social mores.  I don’t know how accurate a representation of life in Japan this is, but Kurosawa certainly shows us this kind of Japan

The wonderful Kôji Yakusho plays police detective, investigating a clutch of grisly murders, all committed by people close to the victim.  The link however, is the cross cut into each victims throat.

Our notional Villain turns out to be some kind of Amnesiac Hypnotist.  No idea of his past, but able to see inside strangers minds and make them act out their murderous desires.  He talks to japans national psychosis about marriage, the standing of women, class….

This is a slow film, meditative even.  don’t expect high-octane car chases, or a highly charged fight anywhere.

There is a parallel story about the detective’s wife – obviously mentally ill, and unable to look after herself, which impacts on our Detective’s ability to investigate the case – well to be honest it affects his whole life.

Then halfway through the film the Police catch the “killer” – and we are lead down a psychological path to try and find some explanation and answers.

There are many attempts to explain what is happening – many are discussed, but we never really get an answer.  But for me that is ok – what we are really looking at is the symptoms of the Japanese societal disease – not looking for the… ahem “Cure”.

Oh, and then there is that last scene.  Back in the Coffee shop, we sit with our detective, thinking all is resolved.  He looks much happier than we have seen throughout the film, and we sense the film is finished, and all problems are solved.  And then – suddenly you see a flash of metal – and you know – nothing has changed.

My DVD has an interesting interview with the director as an extra.  In it he discusses his enjoyment of what he calls New American Cinema (by which he means the cinema of the 1970’s – stopping once Spielberg created Jaws – there are differing generations that claim the New American Cinema sobriquet).  And this made so much sense to me – it feels and looks like the neo-realistic movies such as “The French Connection”.  In fact structurally, this film is similar to “The Boston Strangler” (First half police investigation, second half conversations with a murderer) – although I don’t think this is intentional.

When i look around, I see three types of review.  One is of a film high in ambiguity and symbolism.  One is of a Japanese successor to “Silence of the Lambs”.  And one is that this is a slow and boring film.

Maybe these are all true.  But for me it is a rewarding experience, and introduced my to my favourite Japanese Director.  In fact, I probably enjoyed watching it again for the purposes of this post than I did when I first saw the movie.

In short, probably not one for everyone.  But is you have the patience – so rewarding.

By the way, there is a kind of sequel – Karisuma.  Sort of.  Maybe.  Well the lead character is certainly the same, (although with a different name) but don’t expect a similar film.

7. Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance

“I know you are a good guy, but you know why I have to kill you?”

When I started this exercise, I did have a couple of rules in my mind.  I wanted to choose films that emotionally resonated with me, rather than list every Asian film that I had ever seen.  I also thought that I would choose only one film by a particular director or star, in order to raise the quality bar.  I now realise that this is impossible, and I am going to relax the rules a little.

Park Chan-wook is a director I would follow down to the level of directing a school play.  Every film I have seen of his I have loved with a deep love I have only previously reserved for Alfred Hitchcock.  So I am going to apologise now for choosing at least 4 films from him.

Song Kang-ho is in my mind, the greatest Korean movie actor currently working.  He also is going to pop up a few times.  So deal with it.

Which brings us to the next issue – this is the first Korean film I have mentioned. Early on in my Asian Cinema discovery, I concentrated very much on Japanese movies, with a sprinkling of Hong Kong/Chinese films.  Korean Cinema is a bit different.  As I understand it, it is one of only three countries that can maintain their own movie industry domestically (along with the USA and India), which means there is a class and gloss to their films across multiple genres that is not always consistently available in other Asian movies. Long story short – there are going to be a lot of Korean movies in this list.

This is also the first film that really works with the title of this blog – Things really do “Fall Apart” in this film, Good people do bad things, and bad things happen to good people. 

Quick synopsis – Deaf mute tries to help his sick sister get a new kidney. Gets involved with organ donors.  It goes badly.  Ends up kidnapping daughter of a Businessman. Goes badly. Business man extracts revenge. Goes badly.  Turns out revenge is not a dish to be served cold, but one that is messy, violent and nobody wins.

Park is an expert in scene composition.  Every scene is designed in a fresh and interesting way, it looks just fabulous.  The use of colour is outstanding (interestingly he wanted to start the film in colour, and then slowly move the film into Black and White.  He eventually did achieve this in a future film, which we will talk about later).

The use of sound is also startling.  There is no soundtrack, only the stark noises of real life.  Never is this more outstanding in the scene where the Businessman attends his daughter autopsy – you see nothing apart from his face, accompanied by the sounds of the autopsy saw.  Chilling and perfect.

The deaf mute is also assisted by this.  Occasionally we see what he is signing by a blank subtitled screen, and often a scene is seen in complete silence, showing how he is often unable to process everything that is going on.

Only the end credits give us music.

It is often criticised for being excessively gory, but I don’t find it that way at all.  It is not pornographic in its approach to violence – yes people do shit and piss themselves as they die – but I never feel that this is used to be cool or for shock value.

Another criticism levelled against Park is that sometimes his films lack “Soul”.  Again I don’t see this, indeed there is liberal sprinkling of humour (the scene with the boys masturbating because they think the girl next door is having sex, although she is really in agony with renal failure is a standout to me).

Song Kang-ho, the Businessman, becomes the focus for the film in the second half, his descent into madness is quite amazing

I have only one complaint – whilst I don’t need to be spoon-fed, I wonder why some things were not shown – specifically the kidnapping.  I think this was done on purpose, but it seems odd.  Oh and I don’t speak Korean, so I am not sure what is being said by the dying Businessman at the start of the end credits.

As with most Korean films, it is maybe a bit overlong, at around two hours it could do with possibly a cut of 10 minutes or so, but I cannot think of a plot thread that deserves to be pruned.

In short – not Park’s most perfect film, and probably my least favourite, but still streets ahead of most other films you will see.

6. Summer Time Machine Blues

I must be in a comedy mood at the moment.  Also – this is a very new entrant to the list.  Just to show you all that everything is fluid here at “Things Fall Apart”.

Let me ask you a question.  Do you like Time Travel Movies?  What’s your favourite? “Back to the Future”?  Maybe you like the original “The Time Machine”?  “Terminator” possibly? Or that “Harry Potter” one that actually was pretty scary and did a nice time travel bit at the end? I am rather partial to “The Butterfly Effect” myself, and well “Donnie Darko” is one of my favourite films ever (and it is a time travel movie – honest!).

There are 100’s.  And they all make you think about time travel, and paradoxes, and if you think too hard your head hurts.

And then you HAVE to pick holes in it.

So the other day, a friend offered me the perfect time-travel movie. Perfect was their short review.

Well – colour me intrigued.

You know the problem with some Time Travel Movies?  They think too big.  They mess around with big important events. Or they try and apply huge relevance to minor events, that being changed have huge repercussions.

What if, lets say, you had a time machine, and you only wanted to go back to yesterday, to recover the remote control for your air conditioning unit, that you broke, and it is just too damn hot?

Well that is the premise for “Summer Time Machine Blues”.

Tellingly based on a stage play, the film is based around a limited  number of locations, but the camera-work always keeps you interested.  Something is always going on somewhere in a scene (I have watched the film 3 times now in 2 days), and the frankly genius use of split screen to show parallel events is executed to perfection.

The film also riffs quite a lot on “Back to the Future”, but in a playful, not heavy way. It is there a an inspiration, not a crutch.  Check out the movie poster, the clock tower, and a familiar feeling “mad” scientist who loves to explain things with a diagram!

Apart from the wonderful construction of the film, there is some interesting discussion about Time Travel, and the various “rules” associated with it.  These range from ‘you change the past, and everything is ruined’, to ‘you change the past, and time just fixes itself’.  However, this is always done with humour and a tongue firmly in a cheek.

The acting is a little variable – the male lead and and the females seem a little more fleshed out than the rest of the male characters – but i personally found their goofiness endearing.  This is a club this little nerd would not have minded joining.

I challenge you to seek out this film – and fail to find it completely charming!

5. Shaolin Soccer

Right, I have had enough of murderous,mentally ill females for a couple of posts. Let us move to Hong Kong, and Stephen Chow’s wonderful “Shaolin Soccer”.

Remember I said two of my interests would cross over? Well here it is. Even better is that this is a highly humorous film, that never fails to make me smile.

First things first. Don't take the film too seriously. It is deliberately silly. Accept the fact that a bizarre “Saving Private Ryan” homage takes place in the middle of a scene. Accept the fact the rules of Football are no being adhered too.

Second things second. Admire the genius of casting the beautiful Vicki Zhao and hiding her behind a) the worst case of acne, b) a terrible makeover and c) a bald ‘wig’.

I try not to go in for synopsis in these blogs, but in a nutshell – crippled ex-footballer and super-talented Shaolin Kung-Fu master team up to create a football team who play based on the principles of Shaolin Kung-Fu. Which involves “getting the gang back together”.

Wacky Hi-Jinks ensue.

I first heard about this film when someone sent me a montage of the CGI-enhanced Kung-Fu/Soccer scenes. Whilst these are fun – there is far more to the film than those 10 minutes.

Actually, upon re-watching the movie I am shocked how ropey the CGI looks. In some cases it looks charming, if archaic – other times it looks amateurish.

Note that there is an American version of the film which runs some 20 minutes less. Avoid it like the plague.

Saying that, I have the Hong Kong version, and the English subtitles are appalling. There are misspellings, huge amounts of nonsense being spoken, and one scene where the characters keep calling the football, “the soccer”. However, I can get past it, and so should you!

Chow is going to get another entry on the list later, but for now – this is must see cinema.

4. Freeze Me

I have been debating whether to include this film or not. It does not quite fit into my rules, specifically it is NOT one of my favourite Asian films. It certainly would not go on a desert island with me. But then it does hit some other notes - it was the first Asian film I discovered that was not due to it being lauded in the film media. It also is an interesting counterpoint to "Audition", which a friend of mine mentioned to me the other day. So if I am going to include on "Rape/Revenge" film, why not have two?

"Audition" is a film that is difficult to watch for various reasons, not just the horrific climax. I did not mention in my earlier post, but the female protagonist has a back story that explains her motives, which of course is of an abusive nature. We the audience are encouraged to have some sympathy for her. However, because of the nature of the film, I don't think we can sympathise with her - her revenge is extreme, and generic - against men in general - not those who wronged her.

"Freeze Me" is also difficult to watch. It is the story of a young woman, Chihiro, who was raped by three men 5 years ago. She told no-one about this, and ran off to start her life again in the city. As we meet her, she seems happy - she has friends, a job, a boyfriend. Then it all come crashing down around her when one-by-one her rapists return to haunt her.

The male characters are suitably generic and stereotypical - which I think is the point. The first guy is a young man (living off his inheritance, all face value). The second is a "Salaryman". The third a "Yakuza". They all have their reasons for wanting Chihiro - and in some ways ignorant of what they are doing. Chihiro herself is very submissive - she fights back as much as she can, but their return breaks her and her spirit.

Until of course she accidentally kills her first attacker.

And proceeds to keep the body in a freezer.

She then gets stronger and stronger - taking out the next two men in an ever more aggressive and violent fashion. But bizarrely, she starts a relationship with the frozen bodies, enjoying their company, talking to them.

Whilst this is happening, her boyfriend thinks she is cheating on him, and when she tells him of her rape, he leaves her. Frankly, the boyfriend is a bit of a twat. Near the end of the movie he returns, and makes it up with Chihiro in such an insensitive way, I cannot believe she did not kill him there and then.

Oh she does 10 minutes later...but for different reasons.

So yes the film is interesting. It is not without art - there are some interesting things going on - the use of flashbacks via a video is clever, and the scenes with the Freezers are also very enjoyable - in fact maybe the problem is that these are few and far between. I would like to have seen this explored a little more.

You see - the film is obsessed with Harumi Inoue's breasts. Not 10 minutes goes by without her needing a shower, or be chased around naked. To be fair, the rape scenes are quite tastefully done, and not exploitative - but the rest of the movie is. And I KNOW exploitation is a genre, and that I should accept that as a trapping of said genre. But to me, it just goes a little too far. Don't get me wrong, they are very nice breasts, but maybe we see them too much.

Did I really write that last sentence?

3. Azumi

So let us take a pause from J-Horror, and try something a little different. Now anyone who has read any other postings on this little blog will know I have three passions in life. Movies, Comic Books and Football. Now as a rule, these three rarely combine at the same time, and when they do the results are often poor. Football movies, other than documentaries, are the rarest breed of all (and one will turn up here later), and usually are pretty poor. Football comics also exist, but frankly are not my cup of tea. Comic Book movies however - well I am a dedicated fanboy, and I'll give them critical latitude. Western Comic Book movies are usually pretty poor, struggling to capture either the essence of the characters, or the depth of the stories. Some do work - in recent years I can think of the first two Superman films, a couple of the Batman films, the first two Spider-Man films and the first two X-Men films. Even then they are not without their faults. Maybe it is because they are all Super-hero comics, which is probably the most difficult type of comic book to bring to live. And this is because it is the dominant form of comic in America. In the UK, we are more used to Humour, War and Sci-Fi, but the film industry cannot afford to create such films. In the East, comics are far more wide-ranging and cover all sorts of genres, which means there is far more scope to represent the drawn page on celluloid.


Azumi is a "Chanbara" film, for want of a better characterisation. Based on the long running Manga by Yū Koyama, it tells the story of a band of assassins, trained since childhood to kill the Warlords of 17th century Japan, with the eventual idea of bringing peace and unifying the country.


It is a very stylised film, using a modern electronic/rock score, and utilising a very modern approach to action sequences. No surprise here, as the director, Ryûhei Kitamura, made his name with the low budget, high octane, Zombie/Yakuza/Sci-fi "Versus".


Personally, I found "Versus" to be a complete chore. Yes it was fast-paced, and to some degree innovative, but I found it rather boring and repetitive. "Azumi" however is a different kettle of fish.


I have never read the source Manga, but I believe the setup carries through the most important story beats into the film. This is where it hooked me. We are introduced to the 10 young assassins and their Master, via a brief action sequence (very evocative of "Versus"), and some light-hearted banter. We learn that the titular Azumi and Natchi are probably the most skilled of the bunch, and that they are also close friends. The Master tells them to go outside and pair up. And then kill their friend. His idea is that to be an Assassin you should be prepared to kill anyone (personally, I think he made a tiny mistake here, as by allowing his best to pair up, who both seemed to be able to carry through this plan, he reduced the overall effectiveness of the unit).


They do it.


So there you have it - 15 minutes into the film you have lost half the main cast. BY THEIR OWN HANDS. Genius.


The rest of the film is mighty entertaining, although it is basically mass sword fights, punctuated by scenes of either the Assassins struggling with the ramifications of their missions, or meeting an ever crazier set of villains that want to hunt them down. I suspect the Manga concentrated a lot more on the moments of reflection, but you get enough in the film to get the idea. The villains are a little more "comic-book" than I would like, and the big end of level boss (yes it is a bit like a video game), Bijomaru, is just, well, bizarre.


Oh there is one more thing. Azumi herself is played by pop-star Aya Ueto. She is a tiny little
pixie, and indescribably cute. This duality between cute girl and supreme assassin works so so well.

Did I mention how cute she was?