Reviews

Inspiring Turnaround

I am always looking for inspirational movies. And this one did not disappoint. And I love stories of mentor-mentee, teacher-student as I am also a teacher of some sort. Here we see not just a passing of knowledge, but rather a teacher investing his life for someone who has a potential to be great and get out of the wrong path.

The actors - Lee Je Hoon and Han Seok Kyu did a wonderful job, had shown a wide scale of emotions throughout the story. Their characters may have resisted at first, but eventually something click within themselves. It may be a hope for a dream to come true, a hope to get out of the wrong path, the joy to invest on someone's life. Though I may not agree with the way the teacher treated his student, it was his tough love that set him straight. And the last song showed how much the student loved his teacher as well.

The timeline when he was in school to get the break may be too short, was he lucky? However, this goes to show that we all desire dreams fulfilled and celebrate success of someone in one way or another been part of that journey. I just wonder, who is the singing voice of Je Hoon?

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the most confused i've ever felt during a film and the most moved i have ever felt afterwards

this movie is such an incredible experience that its honestly hard to sum up in words. during my first watch i was completely lost. i had no idea what was going on when there was the random cut to the okinawa trip, and the random forum intercuts that happened throughout. i was the most lost with the apple stabbing thing, but after a second watch and also a crap ton of note taking it all made sense. this movie is a nonlinear narrative, which means the events do not happen in chronological order. though confusing at first, i feel like this was the right choice for this story. honestly this movie is a very uncomfortable watch, i mean we literally are just watching a poor middle school boy get completely tormented both online and in real life by this boy who was once his close friend. thats literal nightmare fuel but it was so well done. i loved the side character of the girl, and when she ended up killing herself i genuinely cried so hard i had to pause the movie. the aesthetics of this movie feel like at time capsule of a long gone time period, i feel like im in a time machine while watching it. the cinematography is off the charts as well. the whole movie is absolutely ethereal and breathtaking. overall, this film is so much more than just an old movie made in japan, its a movie that encapsulates an era of japan that is now long gone, and now we get to see a glimpse of the lives of those who lived in it.

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"A woman's grudge is not something that easily goes away"

A woman exacting revenge on those who have wronged her may now be seen as a cliché. However, this film from the 1960s is an early contributor to the "Wonhon" motif (the Korean version of this concept).

A Devilish Murder subverts the expected revenge narrative and creates an interesting juxtaposition between the duality of women. Placing a spotlight on the relationships between the characters and their expected roles within the family, and society itself, provides an insightful reflection of the time period in which it was produced.

The premise is interesting and the use of music greatly contributes to the eerie atmosphere already established by the uncomfortable relationship dynamics and unsettling visuals. However, a lack of exposition makes the dated plot confusing and ultimately less enjoyable to follow.

Overall: 2.5/5
Quality: 3/5
Enjoyability: 2.5/5

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Red Flag Trope Cram session

Lemme save your brain from needing a good mental
bleaching.
1) Student/ Teacher
2) Child/ Adult
3) Half-Brothers
4) Rape and NonConsentual: Multiple times (A different couple)
5) You see all the human anatomy. All of it.
6) They hide the truth of their relationship until the very end. Which is the ONLY reason why I finished it. If I had known the truth, I would have never even attempted it. You THINK you’re watching a super artsy movie with a message waiting for you at the end… and then they smack you in the face with the truth and you want to take acid to your retinas because of the regret you feel from watching the depiction of so much wrongness. I feel lied to.
7) NO. Don’t do it. Just… No.
8) How did this get published for public viewing?
9) Did I mention it was awful? It’s awful.
10) The ACTORS do their job. They were great. Still… don’t do it. K? K. You’re Welcome.

Now go watch something lovely and fluffy. Like Moonlight Chicken or Reset or Your Sky.

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DONT waste 2hrs of your life on this

This movie is very boring, slow and doesn’t make sense.the plot was starting to form in the first 20 mins and got abandoned right after.the audience never got their answers about certain things the characters had mentioned which is very frustrating.

The whole movie just consist with:
-sex
-violence
-sexual abuse/harassment/violence
-screaming
-unanswered questions
-spiting
-way 2 long scenes

Some scenes didn’t have to be almost 10 minutes long..for example some talking scenes. due the scenes being so damn long i just started to lose my focus and couldn’t concentrate at all.
The sex scenes were sometimes out of place which made me confused and wondering “is it really necessary?”
I understand this is a pink film but some pink films still put there sex scenes at times THAT MAKES SENSE.

The characters introduction was very weird and how some characters just appeared randomly and how gold boy just disappeared after 2 NC scenes and 1 talking scene.
Gun’s character (James) was something really awkward to look at bc Gun acting looked a bit awkward while playing this character and the spiting was so unnecessary which made it just funny each time Gun spat.

The acting overall was the best part due the actors doing justice for their characters and doing a good job at expressing.
The soundtrack with the weird drums was NAWT it but the punk one was a good one.

Overall dont waste your time for this unless you really wanna see gun or you’re into BDSM stuff.

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Great storyline with amazing acting

The film was immediately captivating right from the start. The storyline is brilliant, anchored by truly phenomenal acting.
​What makes it even more terrifying is the fact that the case is based on actual true events (the Hwaseong serial murders). The movie brilliantly captured the atmosphere of the 1980s, particularly highlighting the enormous difficulties the police faced compared to modern-day investigations with advanced technology.
​On the darker side, it also serves as a stark commentary on the era, where the authorities felt entitled to use brutal methods—even beating suspects—to force a confession.
​The final scene is masterful and gave me genuine chills. I immediately had to look up what eventually happened with the real killer—a testament to how deeply the film hooks you into the investigation's failure and enduring mystery.

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Fun story that doesn't reinvent the wheel but has a great kick to it

I also had a chance to watch this in theaters in Korea (like the other reviewer up now). Contrary to that reviewer, I did see what was coming pretty steadily. Some of the details of how were less clear, but the core emotional issue that is brought up later in the film was pretty clear to me within about 15-20 minutes.

THAT SAID, a great film doesn't have to be shocking or surprising constantly, and that's how I felt about this. The acting and cinematography were solid, and even with my very lacking Korean skills and no subtitles, I found it funny and the characters highly relatable, if a bit cartoonish (that seemed to be the point, though, so it's not a knock).

It made me want to watch other things by this writer/director, and turns out I've seen Homme Fatale, too, which I also really enjoyed!

Mildly spoilery take below:





((And, honestly, I think you can guess that "core emotional issue" just based on reading the synopsis and looking at the casting, particularly the ages.))

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Political satire - that's how it's done!

This was a well-written and well-acted movie. It's been a long time since I've watched a K-drama with the comedy tag that was actually laugh out loud funny. The storyline is very confusing, but that's to be expected with the multiple countries represented. I also like how they actually kept the factual details.

The only reason I couldn't rate it higher was because of the language. The cursing was jarring and constant. If I was able to understand Korean better, if I'd watched it without subtitles, that would have been better. I would still know that the cursing was going on, but, since they talk so fast, it wouldn't have been an issue. Seeing it typed on the screen just took me out of the enjoyment of the movie. Seriously, has anyone ever watched something and said, "I wish there was MORE cursing." It's just unnecessary.

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There are too many politicians in this country, not enough public servants.

After the heroic stories with themes of war from Heneral Luna and Goyo, this film depicts the game of politics of an era which is not too far from the current state of the government of the Philippines.

As someone who had learned the history which depicts most of these historical figures as heroes who fight independence, I have learn that this film, although mixed with fiction, showed people are people; politicians are politicians. Tarrog again showed how these figures could be petty, have inflated egos and would do dirty tricks for the sake of their glory. He never fails to stir my nationalism which makes me extra dubious of the intentions especially of politicians who would speak flowery words especially on elections, who would give false promises to the people would like to hear and when elected, would appease the people but would refuse to speak the truth. It is less entertaining than Heneral Luna to be honest but it has a place in my nationalist heart. I am looking forward to a Magsaysay film, as teased before the credits.

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What's next?

Ok so before I write this, I have to say I watched this movie without subtitles and used my decent knowledge of Japanese to understand the film. There were tons of medical terminology thrown in that went over my head however.

That being said, this was a beautiful movie. It was absolutely heartfelt and made me feel so good after. The premise of the movie is really unique. Nobumasa's daughter Yoshimi has a heart problem that modern medicine cannot fix, so he takes years to learn how to create an artificial heart. In the process, the wish to save his daughter becomes so much more.

Nobumasa's character is so endearing. He fights so hard to get his research and designs throughout the movie recognized. I felt such strong conviction from him. I love how his entire family supported him and Yoshimi thought-out the movie. I would of loved to see more interaction between the family, but they sort of did that at the end. It was good way to make you feel even more strongly about their ties. The movie didn't show too much family interaction next to brief scenes at the dinner table. But there interactions were nuanced and spoke volumes about how they've been supporting each other in the background.

It makes sense, seeing as how it was Nobumasa's story of triumph. The acting was really solid. There were times were Yoko The mother, seemed to be reading her lines. But I'm not sure if that was just how her character was. I really loved Nami's approach to her family with always supporting Yoshimi. It was so so heartwarming. I loved when she has to get her family back on track to do the right thing.

There were a few times were I teared up, so this movie does pull at the heartstrings when it needs to. It's not overly dramatic however. I would say it was a really good balance between triumph and sadness. There is little to no comedy.

The camera shots were really well done. There was a few particular scenes I was excited about. Nobumasa is always shown running against a wave of people up the stairs of the train station. I think it was a perfect visual of his struggle in the movie. There was another scene were the lighting transitioned from the depths of sadness to a ray of hope and it was so well executed. There were some really great transitional shots, I loved all of it. There were some fuzzy issues with like blurring lens focus but very minimal. You don't really notice it unless you are scrutinizing it like me lol. Wow usually makes an excellent product cinematic wise.

Music was well done and suitable. There's a great scene were the mom is with her daughter's and a possible piece is playing that really set a fantastic hopeful mood.

Overall it's a fantastic film to make you feel good. I initially watched it for Arimura Kasumi's random appearance and her single long dialogue scene was fantastic with what little time she had. She's barely in the movie at all, so I was happy that one of her only scenes was fairly moving.

Great film, totally recommend

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