Scent of a Ghost (2019)

Scent of a Ghost was one of those strange combinations of romance, fantasy, violence, slapstick sex comedy, and tragedy all rolled into one. This review will be short because I don’t want to spoil any of the plot twists and turns although most people will see them coming.

In this fantasy drama, the most unbelievable thing for me was not the sex crazed and pervy ghosts lurking about, it was that the lovely Lee El and Kang Kyung Joon, 37 and 36 years-old respectively (in 2019) were supposed to be playing university students. I might have bought it if they were working on their second PhD or if they’d been professors, but as youthful as they appeared they didn’t look like college kids.

Despite the distracting age issue, the actual love story was sweet, funny, and bittersweet. Unfortunately, it didn’t take up enough time so more time was given to middle-aged people banging all day or the cops trying and failing to play ghostbusters. Son Byung Ho who usually plays wealthy CEOs, played a shaman with a good heart in a nice change of pace. The comedy was hit or miss and the sex romps began to wear thin. I really wish they’d devoted more time to the budding romance, it would have strengthened the story greatly. If you’re looking for a ghost story with humor (some funny, some not) and pathos, with a short running time, this might be a film to check out if you keep your expectations low, real low.

10/9/23

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