I sat down tonight, in order to watch Christmas in August. It's at the top of some peoples Korean film list, and is supposed to be, quite simply brilliant. But instead, another film on the pile (yes, the infamous pile of everlasting movies is still with me) caught my attention, and I decided to watch just the first 5mins.
5 mins turned into the first 10.
10mins turned into the first half.
The first half turned into the whole movie.
A simple storyline, but as they so often are, so wonderfully told. A girl with a terminal disease falls for the boy who lives downstairs from her. Nothing more, nothing less. But the acting ability, and the brilliant writing keep this movie moving along with joy, even tho deep deep down, you know its going to end in tragedy.
The cinematography, is beautiful. Some of the scenes are so lovingly shot, and the subtlety as to which the girl's (Mina) disease is dealt with far surpasses virtually any documentary about someone in ill health. The characters writing for each part is done so well, and even tho there's literally only a handful of people in the film (which is great for newbies to asian cinema!) each one is crafted so well, especially the male and female lead.
Its a funny film, with plenty of laugh out loud moments, as it always is with asian movies. Maybe I'm one of only a few, but the humour in some of the smallest jokes sometimes makes the experience for me, and luckily these translate really well (an example, in one of the scenes the word "sacks" is misheard for "sex" causing embarrassment) and overall the subtitles are pretty well done with few, if any, errors.
I tend to watch as many films as I possibly can, and so far this year I've not really been enticed by anything "new" to watch, and have settled for rewatching some favorites, and older films I've missed out on. Therefore, "...ing" has risen very quickly to the top of the pile of movies i've enjoyed so far this year. If in theory you're attracted to a romantic comedy but the western efforts seem so tacky and lifeless, then this might be the film for you. A great film for anyone who wants to try asian cinema without getting into something either too complex or badly translated, a great film for those already submersed into the world, a great film for those who enjoy rom-com's with "that little bit extra"... a great film.
The sad thing is, it's been out (in cinema, and from a few days ago, on dvd) for several months, and I was the 8th person on iMDB to give it a mark. If you're sick of films like National Security or Haunted Mansion even GETTING marks in the first place, then its time to ignore Western commercial cinema, and give something else a try. You can start here.
9/10
