whoever made this should lose their job
All the people telling you it's good, are lying. This movie should not have an overall score of 6.8, it should be at most a 4.It's honestly so bad, the only reason why people liked it was that there was just a little bit of spice scenes. And those scenes were even bad.
The storyline was just terrible, I don't even know what they wanted to do. This movie was just a terrible idea and should have never been made.
I would only recommend it so you can understand how bad it was.
I would honestly rate it a 0 if I could.
Was this review helpful to you?
As viewers, we don't get a clear reason for what ultimately led to Kyung Min's death. It could have been many of the situations mentioned in the movie or something that has never been revealed.
Overall it's a good movie. Unfortunately, it was boring at times. The actors did a great job and the camera work is a big advantage for this film.
Was this review helpful to you?
Clueless girls being oppressed, thus silenced
Started slow with steady mystery build-up that ended on an abrupt screenplay shift. This is primarily this movie's substance.Joo-ran/Shizuko (Park Bo-young) was sent to an all-girl's boarding school outside of Seoul but was actually a sanatorium, and the sudden change of her environment made her into a quiet and shy student. Her adjustment was slow but expected, which also made the story slow. The plot really picked up its pace when mysterious events are now happening and she was always the witness and her body now somewhat feels stronger, which was unusual since she has tuberculosis when she first arrived.
The horror and thriller parts could've been made more suspenseful and even with the "terrifying" background music plus "chilling" camerawork on scenes where jumpscares were almost certain, it failed to scare me even a bit which was odd for someone that is easily spooked. Furthermore, the pacing of the story could've been made more tense by adding more scenes that would've made me anxious even at the beginning of the story, since as what I mentioned earlier, it was not really mysterious and I didn't know that this was a mystery horror movie. But still, there was a steady build-up of mystery on the unusual events that occured on said school/sanatorium.
This movie's highlight would probably be the "sismance" between Joo-ran/Shizuko and Yeon-deok/Kazue (Park So-dam). Their relationship was portrayed to be just close friends but their chemistry was too strong to think that maybe they were more than friends. It was Yeon-deok/Kazue that really helped Joo-ran/Shizuko adjust to the school life as well as rediscover her old bubbly self. I was more emotionally-invested in them than the plot itself.
The mystery itself was not a mystery anymore, as I knew already what it is based on the context clues scattered in several scenes. However, I was shocked more on the basis of said mystery which was correlated to the time setting of the movie, and I was now able to get the relevance why it was set during the Japanese occupation of Korea. This was not only really a tragedy-in-the-making for the clueless and innocent students of the school, particularly to Joo-ran who had now experienced something strange in her body but also eerie since the school's headmistress Kato Sanae (Uhm Ji-won) has no remorse on what she has done, and will do everything just to be recognized as a loyal citizen of the Japanese empire, even at the expense of her Joseon compatriots.
After watching this movie, I was confused as to why is it called "The Silenced" when it wasn't really explained throughout its run? My interpretation would be based on its premise of having clueless girls being oppressed, thus silenced.
Was this review helpful to you?
Just Like the Series, Very Boring
The movie/series: See my full review for the series about the storyline, script, and acting. All of it applies to the movie too.The movie: Overall, they did a great job editing the series into a movie version. However, I wish they had fixed the weird editing choice from episode 7 because it does seem out of place and affected the mood for the next scene.
Random Notes:
You basically can skip the series and watch the movie version because there was very little that was edited out. As I stated with the series, you can wait to watch the movie until you have some time to kill and have nothing better on your must watch list.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
If you become me, who will become you?
I absolutely love this 7 minute short movie. The profound message in those 7 minutes is so relevant given the fast and furious rush we find ourselves in to 'become somebody'.The script is tight but the way they have brought it to the screen was expertly done. The sets and music complement the tight script ... there is nothing lacking ... there are no gap fillers ... everything seen and heard has purpose and it beautifully flows from one scene to the next and the actors are just perfect for the message being conveyed. It is so rewatchable ... and I seem to get something new out of it each time.
It is called "A Better Youth", but the message is actually very 'generational'. There are 'take aways' across the generations at an individual level and at a family level. Because of this, the question becomes not so much "what is a better youth" ... but "what is a better person". If, like Wallace Chung's character, you missed out being a 'better youth', then while you still draw breath, it is never too late, and you are never too old to become a better 'you' ... you still have a future.
"What do you want to be in the future?"
"I want to be like Papa."
"If you become me, who will become you? You don't have to be someone else to be better, you just ought to be your better self."
Brilliant ... profound ... beautifully executed and so rewatchable as a good 'pick me up' when you get lost in the drama of existence \( ͡❛ ᴗ ͡❛)/
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Interesting movie
It was interesting movie.At the beginning, I was not impressed by main protagonist, I guess we can say I had a false first impression of him.
(😎Movie producers, I see what you did there😏)
But after watching further as movie slowly progressed,
you get to know more of his character, how he thinks and questions things around and what makes his unique personality.
Later, after revealing his story, you find yourself feeling bad for him and also rooting for him to find some closure and move on with his life after loss of his little son.
I enjoyed the story, It was nicely done with bit of sad and sometimes funny feelings of nostalgia.
I hoped he will also help on other hand his swimming instructor, but that would be too perfect ending so I like it much better this way.🙂
P.S. sorry for my horrible English, I tried my best 😳
Was this review helpful to you?
Anthology of 3 short movies, 2 of which disappoint
This movie is an anthology of 3 short movies. The first is called The Chink that talks about a pop star who moves into a new apartment as a secret love nest for her and her boyfriend slash manager. The second is called In The Mall following a KOL live streaming while walking around. The third and last movie is called The Tenement dealing with a rain soaked mysterious woman blocking the way for the residents of an apartment block.The first two short movies are terrible and boring af, I did not care what was happening to the characters because they were all huge a**holes and deserved what they got. This is a shame because the second movie had Jerry Lamb in it, and I do enjoy watching him act but he was so unlikeable here.
Now, the last movie is the best of the bunch as it has a group of apartment block strangers working together to deal with this strange wet figure blocking the stairway that seems to be kill anybody trying to leave the block. This movie had Richie Ren in it and it was so great to see him in a cantonese acting role doing his best to speak canto, and most of the funny and scariest moments were here as well, but sadly the ending was too abrupt due to the time constraints of the anthology.
The first two movies were so bad that I cannot rate them because it would just be a zero, but the 3rd short movie on its own pulls this up to a 6. If the third movie was able to become its own feature, this score could have been higher, but the bad aftertaste of the first 2 dragged it down.
Was this review helpful to you?
Watch it for Kim Gun Woo
Call me superficial, but the main selling point of this movie was Kim Gun Woo. Not only physically attractive, but the character he portrayed here was just lovely. The poor guy that gets taken for granted because he's a good guy, but who you'd really want to be your boyfriend.Jasper Cho's acting tends to be a bit "much", but here I'm not sure if it was his acting or the writing.
Fluffy, fluffy romantic comedy. It's an easy watch, I spent my time trying to guess how long it was going to take the FL to figure things out. I have to be honest, I liked her portrayal of a totally nice woman.
My complaint for this movie was the language. I realize that most people are probably not bothered by it, but the use of the "F" bomb always shows a laziness of writing for me. There are many other words that could be used.
Was this review helpful to you?
Extremely touching and tear-jerking
This movie is unexpectedly great in storytelling, the transition of the plot is so smooth near to a level of perfection, and it's a cute and heartwarming companion for this cold winter season. A lot of realization of life lessons has been implemented even though the story is simple, but this is exactly what makes it special, it is extremely touching and tear-jerking, which made me cried many many times in the theater. When money and fame is not everything in life, but the love and care in human bonding is what gives our life meaning, just couldn't help but to agree that this is what really is all about in the fulfillment of life.Was this review helpful to you?
I had so much expectations..
I read about the concept of the movie and was immediatelly very hyped. I enjoy most of the movies containing a stalker / psycho. But this one seems like an exception..I still got to say that the soundtrack was very great during intense scenes ; the idea of the two FL being deaf / mute was very great in the context, which made it more thrilling. The plot was simple in my opnion and I expected a more twisted ending.. I have to be frank about the fact that it was weird for me to see the actor playing ML as a psycho when I watched him playing in more cheerful roles as in "Bad and Crazy" which, in my opinion, suits him better. (But that's subjective). Overall, this movie had a lot of potential, I saw it was very well rated, but I guess it's better to watch a movie without having much expectations before.
A great movie in the concept and a great soundtrack but it's a flop for me.
Was this review helpful to you?
So wrong and raw, but shows rarely seen emotions.
In a nutshell you have a conductor who fell in love with a violinist, his love turned to obsession and a need to possess him. It becomes quite tragic where that leads him.The violinist may, or may not, be gay -- the one thing that's very clear is that he currently believes he's straight but also is confused about his sexuality. (as seen by the dream he had about the conductor)
The violinist is in love with the female flutist -- but she falls for the new conductor -- who has fallen for the violinist. It seems relatively straightforward until you witness the interactions and conversations they have.
The flutist is, in her own ways, equally as problematic and emotionally broken as the conductor, especially after you see her conversation with Yuuki in the bar when she's drunk. That's just a whole other level of messed up.
I can understand why so many people say that they are offended by this content, but honestly, if they're offended they should just turn it off and not watch it. I will have a significantly higher amount of respect for someone who says they don't like the content and that they're offended if they don't finish watching it than if they finish it and proceed to just bash the content and fail to see the deeper side that they were trying to illustrate.
Nowhere did the creators let us believe that the things that occurred were acceptable or romantic, but they showed us both a victim's angle and how a perpetrator could attempt to rationalize their actions, even when they know they were wrong. It also gives a deeper look into just how dark true jealousy can be and the things a person may wish for under abnormal circumstances. (I think in some ways I'm more horrified by the gal's comments & jealousy than I am regarding the conductor's actions)
All in all the movie isn't horrible, the acting was decent and the music was amazing. The story as a whole could've been better and had more detail and gone much further into exploring the emotions and what drives the characters. In the end it's certainly not for everyone. And that's okay. It's absolutely, positively OKAY to be offended and disgusted by the actions in this movie -- is also okay to just not watch it if you're that affected. There will always be others who can be objective and see the art and the lessons even in the most grotesque of works.
However, if you are the kind of person who can tolerate intense scenes and legit non-con but still be objective regarding the work and it has to offer, then I would recommend this. If you are someone who wants to avoid non-con at all costs, then I would say please don't even bother starting this.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Definitely give it a try!
Finished this. It is quite a pity that it didn't come out at the theatre during the olympic but afterward it did. I finished it and highly recommend this movie. Meng Meiqi's acting definitely improved on this movie versus her other ones. This movie showcased her capabilities and emotions and hard work she put into this movie. Her interpretation of the character was not bad, not perfect, but definitely not bad. She is quite new to acting, but she definitely acted well and was full of emotions. This is not a romance movie so don't expect any romance. It is mainly of the sport of how she came to be the top going through a tough time in life esp her father passing during her competition it makes you reflect on life of how much loved ones we've lost and yet life continue, and you couldn't turn back time.Before you judge, I'd say give this movie a chance. It wasn't disappointing or a waste of time.
Was this review helpful to you?
Great acting from Nagano Mei
This is probably a must-watch for Nagano Mei's fans, because she did brilliantly in this movie. She usually play that pretty, sweet, good-mannered type of character so I'm kinda surprised she could pull off Shiina's character well. I haven't read the manga but people said this movie is very close to the original manga. The story is good, the acting is great, supporting characters also did well....but one thing I should say (or warn, maybe), this movie could make you sleepy. If you're not a fan of slow paced, poetic lines kind of movie, you should probably know about this in advance.... I skipped some 'muted' scenes (no dialogue, just the actors or the scenery) because I was feeling drowsy watching it.I understand though, maybe the cinematography in this movie was intended to be the exact same as the manga, as much as possible. But in my opinion they should have added some nice, sentimental music in the background maybe? To make it more...idk, dramatic? Because it's not a plain 2D pictures audience is watching, it's a movie adaptation so I guess some more music in the background would be nice! Especially for audiences who haven't read the manga and couldn't grasp the emotion delivered by the main character from the original piece like me.
I gave it 7.5 out of 10 because I personally do not like slow paced-type of movie. But other than that, it was pretty good.
Was this review helpful to you?
very good
I was rather skeptical before watching a movie from 2013 (my experience with older korean dramas has been so-so) and the title sounds cheesy as well(at least in english language). Fortunately, I was proven wrong.This is a great thriller in vein of "The Call" and "Forgotten". Expect dark and gory scenes, complex psychology and lotsa plot twists. I think too many actually; the final plot twist was really not needed and came out of nowhere. This didn't really spoil the "journey" of getting there, but the ending could have been better.
There are also several plot holes, mostly related to FLs past and behaviors.
The acting also could have been better, while the performance of main characters was very good(especially Uhm Ki Joon, he's so different from his roles in later dramas here!), the side characters were overacted.
For these reasons, I can't rate this drama more than 8/10 overall. Which is still a very good rating and I recommend it.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
"You'll learn to love me, the lessons are free." Don't bet on it.
The Lower Depths refers to a group of impoverished tenants living in a building that is propped up with beams and the cliff it leans against. It’s a dark comedy about people who have no hope for tomorrow, living close to the edge of death and pennilessness.The film is based on the Russian playwright Maxim Gorky’s 1902 play. Most of the film is set inside the dilapidated tenement as if it were a play with characters walking on and off stage. The technique can make for a claustrophobic experience as if you were trapped in the room with straw covered floors and unlikeable characters and like them have no means of escape.
The film is one long unending conversation between the different characters. They spend their time complaining about their lot in life and complaining and gossiping about each other. There’s a tinker, a prostitute, a husband and wife, a thief, a cheating gambler, and an alcoholic cohabitating in the great room with bunk beds. Their usual tirades are broken up by the appearance of an older man, nicknamed Grandpa, who brings a bit of wisdom and compassion to the bickering group.
This was my least favorite Kurosawa by far. I didn't find any of the characters or performances particularly compelling. Even the charismatic Mifune Toshiro struggled to bring the thief having an affair with the landlord’s wife to life. The characters complained about their lives incessantly, but even when Grandpa tried to tell them there might be something better away from the toxic environment none of them took a chance to make the move. Only one did and it ended in utter disaster. Kurosawa at least got his consistent view of women out of the way in the first scene by having a character state that all women are liars.
There is much discussion about when telling the truth is bad and telling a lie is good. The benefits and downfalls of money is also discussed. “Money buys your fate in hell.” “Human kindness can’t be bought with pennies or silver.”
I suppose I need more white space, and this film had too many words crammed together from beginning to end with scarcely a breath or compelling action taken between them. Acts of compassion were few and far between causing the characters to not resonate with me. This room full of characters failed to enlighten me on the social plight of the poor, the failings of the state, or how people even in dire situations look out for each other. Though there were moments of almost grudging kindness there weren’t any likeable characters, with the possible exception of Grandpa. Truly by the last moments of the film with its extremely abrupt ending, I wasn’t sure what I was to take away from this story other than a window into a deeply flawed group of impoverished people trying to get through the day knowing that when tomorrow comes it will not be any better.
If you are interested in watching a Kurosawa film, this is not the one to start with. If you are a Kurosawa fan, this is a must see, as it differs from the films preceding it and is worth a look.
1/6/23
Was this review helpful to you?
