Reviews

I'm sorry, but this is definitely not one of the worst Korean movies out there

According to the know it all internet, this film is considered a huge failure, both commercial and critical, and generally one of the worst Korean films to ever be made. Now doesn't that make you more eager to watch it?

It is stated in the very beginning that the movie is a fictional dramatization inspired by true events and that's exactly what it is.

The story is taking place during the japanese occupation of Korea, when an idealist believes that it is vital for a Korean bicyclist to win in the races that take place in the capital. The reason? The morale of the Korean people should be raised to strengthen the cause of the resistance.

It is a -mostly- fictional film based on the barely known life of famed cyclist Um Bok Dong that raced against the Japanese.

Now is this a great movie? Not really. But is it extremely entertaining? Hell, yes!

This movie has everything that you will find in similar films. Fighting against the extremely evil Japanese (and the equally evil Koreans that have chosen to work for the enemy), having a hero that is a bit pure -that's how they like to call him- (or if we are being real a bit dumb with a big heart) and of course watching some things that are hard to believe and impossible to happen.

I won't lie. It looks very cheap at times with some awful CGI and some questionable acting performances. The plot is as simplistic as it could get and it definitely doesn't look like a 2019 film. However, it is so damn entertaining and it achieves its goal which is to make your heart feel for the Korean people and everything they went through.

It has some nice comedic elements and some heart racing parts and generally, if it was not evident from what I said before, it is an extremely easy and fun watch -with a pretty well edited trailer that makes you want to give it a chance even more-.

Should you expect something great? Not even close. Is it an amusing watch that is better than just staring at the wall after a difficult day at work? Absolutely!

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Realistic, grounded portrayal of young people and some of their difficulties

The film centres around two high school students, Maki and Akira, who are both a bit lost because parents and find friendship with each other. I didn't understand some of the symbolism decided on by other students but it was easy enough to just go with it. Perhaps it's a Japanese understanding, maybe it's idiosyncratic to the director. Motivations are consistent and clear, even when they're not explained straight away. Maki is acting out because of x, a boy does what he does because of y, Akira is kind.

There are many small touches evoking place, like views of the countryside and the beautiful ice cream serving technique of a grandmother. It all feels very real and grounded. This is my favourite film of all the ones I've seen in this autumn's JFF+ Independent Cinema festival. If you like youth drama and film with realistic portrayals of the difficulties young people struggle with as they grow up, this is well worth seeking out. Maki especially is a character I'll remember and I hope to see Nagasawa Itsuki, Nakagawa Tsubasa and some of the others again.

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Director's Cut Completes The Story (watch this, not the series!)

Realistic, honest, and overall heart-warming.
General spoilers. The biggest thing is that this director's cut has an extra 10 min that makes the end immensely more satisfying than the rushed & abrupt series end! (There's a great & helpful review by MusicalVeggies too.)

The cinematography and coloring were symbolic and beautifully done. Yuuki is like the sun and brings soft orange warmth. When he and Akira aren't together, life is a lonely cold-blue.

The mental conflict Akira went through was so realistic and hit home for me. Though it was hard to forgive the character it was an honest portrayal of a struggle that, sadly, not everyone conquers. At least Akira finds a way through it, as messy as it is for multiple people's lives.

The screenplay did a great job with that moment one realizes the ideology behind their thoughts and actions are not actually their own, but rather learned from family or society. And then also with the moment where something snaps and the determination to finally accept and choose what's best for oneself leads to the resolve to stop pretending to be "normal" and stand up for oneself.

For those struggling to understand certain actions of Akira, keep in mind that in Asian culture especially, there is tremendous pressure to marry and have children because society (and even status) is extremely family-oriented. This pressure is not emphasized in the screenplay because, I believe, it is already a cultural understanding.

Raiku as Yuuki was perfect. Yuuki didn't have as big of an arc in character growth to go through, but Raiku embodied all of his emotions deeply. It came through in his face, voice, and body. Every emotion he felt, especially when he was hurting, I felt deeply too.

Shirasu Jin was very good but his emotional experience as Akira felt flatter even though the character had more emotional arcs to go through. There was just a little something missing in nuances and behind the eyes for me. It was largely because of this that the shorter series end wasn't satisfying. Continued below but there is a spoiler on the ending...

ENDING SPOILER.
I needed to see more than 1min of them being happy in their life together to be able to feel their happiness myself after the 8(?) years of pain Akira put Yuuki through before going back to him. The director's cut gave me that.

The music fit well and was often beautiful. There were two specific songs I added to my playlist.

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It's an extreme movie. It was created during the pandemic.

On the one hand, comedy, "Asian comedy" - loud, affected, theatrical, convulsive, fake acting, you don't believe anything in the actors. Where Asians laugh, Europeans often just stare and those with less strong nerves turn off. I have to admit that in the beginning, even I had the urge to turn it off and forget about this pinoy idiot right away.

On the other hand, when you try further, suddenly a rather deep thought jumps out of the film "if I was already born this way and I don't change it, I can change those who perceive me to accept me as I am". And suddenly the film takes on a completely different dimension. I began to perceive the main character's acting performance quite well and also the fact that Maris Racal in the role of Nancy looks really good and does not remind me of an Asian woman at all.
I had to significantly increase the overall tone of the film because of the "message" that the film conveys, the acting and the music...

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It is not a simple film, as it might seem at first glance, for many it may even seem uninteresting. But I can do dance films, especially if there is a clear interplay between music, movement of different styles and "what the poet wanted to say". And here it is directly connected with poems (fables?), it is difficult to understand these sequences of the film perfectly. From minute 36 I thought one instrument was slightly out of tune, but that's part of it and that's how it's supposed to sound in East Asia. For the final dance, the music is already largely influenced by Indonesian gamelan. And the two young actors Paulo and Rocco, even without previous dance training, are very likeable (in my opinion, downright beautiful), they look good and they took on their roles flawlessly...

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The first two or three shots of the film will divide the audience into those who might give up or give the lowest rating, for example those from the local DP Club, and others who will begin to perceive the intention that the director is presenting, because none of the filmmakers would have made the film so easily and those who criticize have discovered America that it shouldn't or shouldn't spin like that. I already know the director, especially from the film The Greek (He Liu), which really hit me hard. Fifty-year-old Taiwanese Khang, played by the director's partner and younger Thai Non, providing erotic massages in Taiwan. City bustle and loneliness. Perfect loneliness, like somewhere "alone by the forest" ... There is no need to write more about it, every viewer will get their own picture of this piece.

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Not bound by words

There are few words by this and no clear narrative structure. It's a collage of curious things and that makes it difficult to find words to talk about it. The title Bachiranun, never forget, a motif repeated near the end may be our best clue. Perhaps these are things the writer/director/actor wants to remember, both from imagination and real life.

The drops into surreal were disorientating so I have no confidence in this assessment. It was all a bit too far a stretch for me and kept me on edge. Others will love it for that. How do the horsehead dancers fit in? Was there significance to the large red pepper-type fruit characters pass to each other? Some of the scenes of dairy farming and fishing/fish processing were difficult for me. The music and elders engaged in traditional making were my favourite parts. In the end, I don't know what to do with this. It is.

Bachiranun deserves a proper review. Hopefully someone will give it one.

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A tale of guilt, regrets, self-discovery and self-love

I loved everything about this movie. I watched without any expectations and thought it would just be another cliché romcom but it’s actually something that has more depth and meaning to it.

This movie has a cohesive flow and the flashbacks really do take us back along with the main character of his self-discovery. And along with it, you will also feel what the main character is feeling (regret, guilt, sadness, etc). It also makes you understand his family’s feelings too. I cried along with the wife when he confessed about cheating, when he rediscovered the time they really argued and called it quits. That scene was chef’s kiss! That ending was exceptional too! I’m happy that even though they gave him a redemption arc, the wife still chose to love herself more after everything she’s been through. It was the perfect ending for me.

The casting was done pretty well too. Sunny and Araya are of the same age and Becky looks just like their kid. I’ve watched a couple of Sunny’s works and that man can deliver! He also registers really good on-screen. He’s aging like a fine wine. I have watched Araya in another comedy movie so I know she can pull of comedy but she blew me away with her dramatic acting skills in this. I watched Becky as a side character from BLs and I can say she really improved her acting too.

Overall, I would recommend people to watch this because it conveys a great message and the movie was done amazingly too.

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This movie deserves a higher rate!

An 8.4 rate is so low than what it deserves. Now I watched this movie because of the plot and the cast. I also like how the synopsis was worded because it does not spoil anything about the characters thus, I was surprised by their individual capabilities. Some may find this corny, or the jokes have already been used too many times before, but what I like about it is how the cast delivers those jokes that makes it funnier. Even though you already know the punchline you will still laugh out loud because of how the lines were given and the expression of the character who delivered it.
So for those who are looking for a movie that will make you laugh while watching and will make you smile remembering then this movie is that movie.

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I understand this more after reading about it

This hour long film is a combination of documentary and fiction centered around actual events like the Fukushima tsunami, with Soto Zen Buddhist monks in three of the roles. There were moments I didn't understand, like why monks were walking through muddy land driving sticks into the ground. Reading reviews and interviews helped me make sense of it in retrospect. I don't feel qualified to give it a rating and would prefer not to make such a judgement from one viewing. I gave it a rewatch value of 10 as I think I would gain much from seeing it again, perhaps a few times. But I found its screening on the JFF+ Independent Cinema festival too late to do so.

It's an intentionally unpristine view of monks and their struggles. It reflects on questions like whether allergies might come from the damage we've done to the world? What should our mission be in the present? What's needed at this time? An elderly and well respected nun gives her answers to the last two. For her, it is sharing the wisdom of the Buddha. How these practices are relevant to well-being and mental health in particular is shown through the monks' lives and advice on a suicide help line.

These are the articles I found most helpful:
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13055417
https://www.sousei.gr.jp/tenzo/en/
https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/tenzo-katsuya-tomita-buddhist-monk-hybrid

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O:G 6 - Ending on a lower note

By the sixth entry in this series, they had definitely exhausted the formula. That's not to say that this is a bad film, but it is on the lower end of fun when compared to the others, and feels more by the numbers overall. The story is a bit forgettable, as are the characters involved, and we've seen this 5x over already. But... on its own merits, and not being compared to the others, it's still incredibly watchable, with some cool set pieces to detract from the poor choreographed fight sequences (something the others could have used more of).

A few things would have improved this final instalment for me. One would be giving us an actual ending, rather than the same one we've had every movie. And I know that this is something that was more rare back then, but BWH&H did it just a short time later with its fifth film and it was perfect. Another thing would have been to have this one set years and years after the others, as it seems to take place shortly after the fifth instead. And finally, maybe some callbacks to the previous films.

I've really enjoyed this series on the whole, but can understand why it ended with this one. Audiences were tired of the same old, and it really didn't have anything new to say. I wish they'd done another final chapter many years later, as it would have been cool to see where Goro ended up in his older age. It is what it is, however, and that's just fine.

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A fine Korean short where most viewers will guess exactly what will come in the next scene, I can recommend it to all GT users. You will be pleased with the light Asian treatment, including "affines", only in one scene will you be betrayed by the English subtitles, but in the one that absolutely everyone will guess.

On March 24, 2022, I played the short again with sk subtitles and I definitely have to increase the value of the picture. Such a little gem, actually a PEARL, not a pure romance for a below-average 3.8 - but for me it's straight up a ten, wonderful including the fact that the ending is "finally" as it is. Beautifully played.

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