Sunday, September 07, 2008
Alexsander Irfan B.
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I first saw this movie through Rain's music video. I thought it was very, what do they call it? Kawaii? You know, cutsie, feel good, pre-teen content for older lovestruck people. (Errr. No, not that kind of disgusting porn.) I thought it would be pretty cool if it was actually a TV show or something. I was clueless at that time that it was actually a music video promotion of a movie by Park Chan-Wook.The director was interviewed in this CNN program and they were selling him as a Korean that makes controversial/gory/morbid/intellectual films. He (almost?) won an award in Cannes Film Festival and stuff (pointing out that the likes of Tarantino wanted him to win). So naturally, he was asked by the interviewer if I'm A Cyborg, But It's Okay was a way of telling evryone that he can't be put in a box, he could do different genres. He responded that the movie was for his daughter. Because he rarely was able to spend time with her and stuff. And that he didn't make anything that her daughter could watch.So when I watched the first few scenes of the movie, I automatically wondered how old his daughter was. How did they rate the film or am I just really too conservative sometimes? The movie started out with Young-Goon slashing her wrist, inserting cables in it, then plugging herself to an electrical socket. The title of the flick says why.I mean, really? Something your daughter could watch? For it wasn't the only morbid stuff I could point out.But then again, he managed to pull of the slashing of wrist into a pretty way yet not disrespecting nor mocking the problem. Yeah, don't ask me. I don't know how he did it.So actually, I could forget that morbidity factor. It was a lovey-dovey flick after all. And it certainly had that kawaii appeal. But as the movie progresses, the director probably kept forgetting that he made it for his daughter. Unless his daughter was that I'm-an-intellectual-artsy-fartsy type, I very much doubt that she would understand all the blurred reality-fantasy metaphors he put in. Or maybe I just have little faith, who knows? But the Korean box office seems to agree with me. I don't think the teenagers got what they expected. And it takes a certain teenager of a certain cult to love this certain movie.Fortunately, I'm one of them. (Yes, I'm a teenager. Shut up!)I mean, hello? Cute plus gore plus fantasy plus mental hospital setting plus a fantastic sex metaphor? I sure as hell don't need to be an intellectual artsy-fartsy to love this film. It's amazing how Park Chan-wook manages all this with a story of girl who doesn't eat because she thinks she's a cyborg and a guy who thinks he can steal people's traits/attitude who helps said girl to eat. Simple plus eccentric equals a touching humanity exploration.I felt I was being slowly lured in into their world and I was so into deep that I too can't distinguish fantasy from reality. And we all know the simple profound conclusion to that, we're no different from Young-goon.Common, I know. But I believe that this was one of those common messages that was prettily delivered because of the awesome storytelling. I could gush about the editing, and flashbacks, and stuff. Every eccentric habits was used. Everything was connected, actually meant something. Everything was borderline cheesy or hey-fuck-that's-morbid but as soon as I was about to cringe, some moment would snap, and I would find myself smiling.
