Becky
North Pole
One my Top 10 movies since 2000
I have seen many movies, but Il Mare is the only movie that even after 20 years, I still remember which cinema, that it was a very hot day (in fact I decided to watch the movie on a whim, after a friend cancelled on me and being a hot day, I thought chilling in the cinema is a good idea), and how I felt when the movie ended-- omg, I have unexpectedly watched a masterpiece! Back in 2000, Korean movies and dramas were not "a thing" yet, it was almost 2 years before the Korean wave. And as I had not seen a Korean film at that time, I really wasn't expecting a lot when I bought the movie ticket.
I was a movie buff back then, had watched a few arthouse films in foreign languages. But Il Mare was the first movie that I watched that focus completely on the viewer experience (I had thought movies are about storytelling), to convey that feelings of loneliness and desire for companionship using imaginary and music. Because really, plot? script? acting? These usually important key factors are negligent in Il Mare!! The synopsis says: sci-fi time-travelling romance, forget that! I get the feeling the time-travelling plot was written in to support the director's desire to create a movie that represents the loneliness, desires and wishes of single people. This is a movie that is completely about cinematograhy and music. So if you are the type that needs a good story or realism, you will not like Il Mare. This movie is an art piece whose purpose is to invoke feelings of loneliness, of love and desire. Plot and logic? The scriptwriter couldn't care less...
It must have been 1 of the easiest movies for the 2 leads..... simple script with simple dialogues. FL was very new to acting and her fresh face helps the role; ML was already a seasoned actor, so all that was required for him is let his charisma show. It was also a smart move to set the story in December-- end of the year, Christmas lights, 1 woman standing under a barren tree.... this might be seen as cliché, but in Il Mare, it is an additional stroke to the masterpiece.
It has been 20 years, and I had lost the soundtrack CD that I bought after the movie. But the theme song, the tune, the lyrics "we must say goodbye~" is always there at a corner of my mind, ready to pull out whenever I feel like reminiscing on the movie.
ps: I rated re-watch value at 9.0 because if you do not have a big screen with good surround sound, the movie is not worth watching...
I was a movie buff back then, had watched a few arthouse films in foreign languages. But Il Mare was the first movie that I watched that focus completely on the viewer experience (I had thought movies are about storytelling), to convey that feelings of loneliness and desire for companionship using imaginary and music. Because really, plot? script? acting? These usually important key factors are negligent in Il Mare!! The synopsis says: sci-fi time-travelling romance, forget that! I get the feeling the time-travelling plot was written in to support the director's desire to create a movie that represents the loneliness, desires and wishes of single people. This is a movie that is completely about cinematograhy and music. So if you are the type that needs a good story or realism, you will not like Il Mare. This movie is an art piece whose purpose is to invoke feelings of loneliness, of love and desire. Plot and logic? The scriptwriter couldn't care less...
It must have been 1 of the easiest movies for the 2 leads..... simple script with simple dialogues. FL was very new to acting and her fresh face helps the role; ML was already a seasoned actor, so all that was required for him is let his charisma show. It was also a smart move to set the story in December-- end of the year, Christmas lights, 1 woman standing under a barren tree.... this might be seen as cliché, but in Il Mare, it is an additional stroke to the masterpiece.
It has been 20 years, and I had lost the soundtrack CD that I bought after the movie. But the theme song, the tune, the lyrics "we must say goodbye~" is always there at a corner of my mind, ready to pull out whenever I feel like reminiscing on the movie.
ps: I rated re-watch value at 9.0 because if you do not have a big screen with good surround sound, the movie is not worth watching...
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