Time - DVD

Time

What do you get when you mix deep love, insecurity, Korean culture, modern medical advances and a superficial society? If you're a master director like Kim Ki-Duk, you get a a movie like "Time." While this certainly isn't his best work, it is strong nonetheless and will capture your attention with it's confusing and revealing twists and turns.

The Story and the Script

It's not uncommon to experience some distancing when a couple has been together for a few years. When Seh-hee (Ji Yeon Park) lets her insecurity get the best of her, she begins to worry that her boyfriend Ji-Woo (Ha Jeong-Woo) has tired of her. She goes to some extra-ordinary lengths to address that issue, and therein lies the first twist in our story.

Seh-hee's jealousy is also part and parcel to her insecurity. Needless to say, the story gets more intriguing as we examine Ji-Woo's confusion and attempts to cope with at first the uncertainty and eventually the strangeness of Seh-hee's actions. The plot is thick and rich with purposeful surprises that reveal more and more layers of these characters.

The culture of superficiality which has taken hold in South Korea as in most of the world takes center stage during this movie. The dialogue in the film often seems rough, perhaps mainly for reasons of cultural differences. Still, the writing is interesting and will keep you guessing.

Some elements of the film made me wary, such as Korean men that have no issue with smacking their dates and a desperate hornyness that seems all too common among the male characters. Still, all these elements are well integrated in the story, and certainly there's nothing really gratuitous here.

Cinematography

Imagery is also used to great effect, and the cinematography is top notch. Locations and sets become characters that add depth and interest to the story as it unfolds. Ji-Woo is a photography buff and we get to enjoy his pastime through him. And the shots of sculpture park become a dream-like symbol for the characters' descent.

Acting and Direction

The movie is stocked full of very strong actors and beautiful scenes of Korea. Of course the visually beautiful backdrop is in contrast to our protagonists, who seem ill at ease with themselves.

The two lead actors each deliver very impressive performances that help smooth over a script that appears to have been written with the intent of sometimes making viewers uncomfortable.

Features and Extras

There are some disappointing aspects to this film. The DVD includes only a fluffy making-of featurette that is just inadequate. Additionally, the subtitles are poorly done in a white that often blends in with on-screen images making it almost illegible. It would have been nice to have the translations placed below the widescreen frame. I do not speak Korean. :)

Conclusion

Despite these minor things, I think this movie is well worth your time.

Overall, worth watching. If you are a huge fan of philosophical drama, it's worth owning as well.

Enjoy!

This is a brilliant treatment of human insecurity and relationships, of loneliness and superficiality. Tension throughout, well paced, and leaving you with questions and dimensions, but no answers. Like his previous films, it will stay in your head, and you can see it several times over.

Once again, Kim Ki Duk has produced another excellent movie showing the more sensitive nature of his korean culture, up close and personal. The photography is top quality and the images of surgery donot linger too long for affect but give just the right atmosphere of desperation to the story. Kim's treatment of love is unique in that he shows love is with us all the time but it can take many hardships to see it. Kim also shows that, like Deity, love has no limits known by man except for the limits man places on it which can never last. A great movie. Buy it!

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