I was not as blown away as I expected
I originally wanted to give this a 9/10, but looking at my ratings in the different categories, that would be unfaithful to the movie. It had a similar vibe to Parasite and Monster, both of which throw you around with new revelations, so that was what I expected, but I wasn't thrown around nearly as much as I thought. I was only startled at the turning point between part 1 and part 2, the rest wasn't as revolutionary (tho learning what "reading" meant was certainly unsettling and shocking, but not in the way I'm talking about here). So I think my disappointment was affecting how I wanted to rate it.
- Taboo topics
I love the exploration of taboo topics, especially how it's done so casually. Or, casually in the sense that it's not portrayed as something wrong or extraordinary, it's just presented to you, there's no one on-screen who can't understand it or are prejudiced, and you are just left to make up your own mind about it. It's not casual in how the movie deals with it, it's delved quite thoroughly into lol.
- Cinematography
I love the house, and I love the camera work, costumes, frames, weather – everything; the visuals are impeccable. I also love comparing part 1 and part 2 in style and cinematography, which is also why I think the rewatch value should be so high.
And, while not cinematography, the audio and sensory part need a mention. Whenever the characters experience something mainly sensory, the audio is amplified and the camera focuses, giving you little else to look at. It's sort of eerie, but also drags you into the movie. The movie somehow retains its sense of class and dignity despite some of these scenes being borderline gross.
- Characters
I'm a sucker for fleshed out characters, and this is lovely. I especially love how the uncle is exactly the same in the end as in the beginning. Everything he does is so predictable to his character and a perfect embodiment of his values. Like how he rejects his Korean heritage, and insists on being as Japanese or British as he can. Everything he does can be traced back to that or the other major thing I won't spoil.
The lady Hideko is also a character I love, especially how the actress, scriptwriter and director all cooperate to make her as baby-like as possible. Especially in the bath the resemblance is striking.
All the characters are caricatures of their biggest flaws, yet still refuse to see their own shortcomings, and no one brings them to their attention. I love it.
- Humour
The humour here seems so effortless, that I sometimes wondered if it was even intended to be funny or if I'm just weird. It also feels so out of place, which makes anything 10x funnier. Kim Tae-ri is of course also naturally funny lol, she was a great casting choice.
- Taboo topics
I love the exploration of taboo topics, especially how it's done so casually. Or, casually in the sense that it's not portrayed as something wrong or extraordinary, it's just presented to you, there's no one on-screen who can't understand it or are prejudiced, and you are just left to make up your own mind about it. It's not casual in how the movie deals with it, it's delved quite thoroughly into lol.
- Cinematography
I love the house, and I love the camera work, costumes, frames, weather – everything; the visuals are impeccable. I also love comparing part 1 and part 2 in style and cinematography, which is also why I think the rewatch value should be so high.
And, while not cinematography, the audio and sensory part need a mention. Whenever the characters experience something mainly sensory, the audio is amplified and the camera focuses, giving you little else to look at. It's sort of eerie, but also drags you into the movie. The movie somehow retains its sense of class and dignity despite some of these scenes being borderline gross.
- Characters
I'm a sucker for fleshed out characters, and this is lovely. I especially love how the uncle is exactly the same in the end as in the beginning. Everything he does is so predictable to his character and a perfect embodiment of his values. Like how he rejects his Korean heritage, and insists on being as Japanese or British as he can. Everything he does can be traced back to that or the other major thing I won't spoil.
The lady Hideko is also a character I love, especially how the actress, scriptwriter and director all cooperate to make her as baby-like as possible. Especially in the bath the resemblance is striking.
All the characters are caricatures of their biggest flaws, yet still refuse to see their own shortcomings, and no one brings them to their attention. I love it.
- Humour
The humour here seems so effortless, that I sometimes wondered if it was even intended to be funny or if I'm just weird. It also feels so out of place, which makes anything 10x funnier. Kim Tae-ri is of course also naturally funny lol, she was a great casting choice.
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