Soom (2007)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Ki-duk Kim

Writer:

Ki-duk Kim (writer)

Release Date:

29 April 2007 (South Korea)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A love story involving a convicted prisoner who "slowly falls for a woman who decorates his prison cell". |

Plot Keywords:

Banging Head Against Wall | Adultery | Photograph | Blood | Car Accident

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Chen Chang	...	Jang Jin
Jung-woo Ha	...	Husband
Ki-duk Kim
Ji-a Park	...	Yeon

Also Known As:

Breath (International: English title)

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:M18 | Japan:R-15

Filming Locations:

Seoul, South Korea

Company:

Cineclick Asia

Another Kim Ki-duk gem

This is the third film I have seen by Kim Ki-duk. Each one has been very different to the other, and I have loved them all. Address Unknown was bleak and emotionally challenging, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter… and Spring was beautifully poetic, while Breath is hard to describe. It has aspects of the earlier films - it's visually poetic and bleak - but it's very different to both most notably for its surreal/absurdist devices combined with very black humour (slightly reminiscent of some of the work of Raúl Ruiz).

Sparse dialogue makes for great intrigue as we attempt to make sense of the two main protagonists and what they have in common. One, a man on death row, the other a suburban mother who follows news of his exploits on the TV. To discuss how the story unfolds is to spoil the film if you haven't watched it. However, the story is so elusive, that even with the details, much remains unexplained, adding to the mystique of the film. The prisoner does not speak during the film and the mother does not speak to her family; she is on screen for about twenty minutes before we hear a word uttered from her mouth.

There is a really competent and confident film-maker at work in Kim Ki-duk, and he's not afraid to experiment. Beautifully photographed in winter, the use of steel/blue tones indoors accentuates the sense of cold and contrasts some of the surreal aspects. The film is contemplative, giving one ample opportunity to appreciate the superb visual aesthetics and make sense of the narrative.

I enjoyed this film immensely, and highly recommend it. It screened as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival, where Kim Ki-duk's films are always well-received.