Mizo (미조)

July 10, 2015July 25, 2015

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BiFan 2015 – Korean Feature Films Part 2

BiFan 2015 will run for 10 days from July 16th~26th, and the biggest genre film festival in Asia is bigger than ever.

To celebrate the upcoming extravaganza, here at Hanguk Yeonghwa we are profiling the Korean films due to screened.

In Part 1, we took a look at the K-films present for the closing ceremony as well as within the Bucheon Choice: Feature, World Fantastic Cinema, and The Masters categories, respectively.

Here in Part 2 the K-films selected for Vision Express, the rather wordy KAFA+ Next D – “3D, Once Again,” and K-Indie Genre Strikes! are profiled.

To see PART 1 of our BiFan profile, please click here.

Vision Express

Amor (그리울 련) – director Han Cheol-su (한철수)

Hee-yeon's terminal illness doesn't deter boyfriend Tae-woo

Hee-yeon’s terminal illness doesn’t deter Tae-woo

Drama Amor follows the story of terminally ill Hee-yeon who, due to her situation, tries to tell her zookeeper boyfriend Tae-woo to forget about her and move on with his life. Yet one day Tae-woo finds a mysterious woman in a bad situation in a zoo bathroom, and discovers she is related to Hee-yeon.

Antigone (안티고네) – directors Kang Eok-seok (강억석), Kim Sung-pum (김성범), Park Seo-yeon (박서연)

The story of King Yong is told

Three directors have collaborated together to bring the story of King Yong to the big screen. Judging from the stills that have been released, the period drama has a definite Dogme 95 vibe through the absence of set design. The film retells a classic Greek tragedy, which examines the lives of King Yong and his family as they attempt to flee to Japan.

Purpose of Reunion (동창회의 목적) – director Jeong Dae-man (정대만)

Dong-chul owns a charming bar

Director Jeong Dae-man’s entry seems to be one of the more traditional drama offerings that focuses on the complexity of modern relationships. The plot involves Dong-chul, who owns a quaint bar, and wants to hold a reunion. Yet one of his guests is attractive Yujin, and they begin a relationship…but what will his wife say?

Sunshine (선샤인) – director Park Jin-soon (박진순)

Sul-ji is an artistic North Korean exile

Sunshine appears to be the only feature film at BiFan 2015 to explore the division between North and South Korea. The film follows former propaganda designer Sul-ji, now a florist, who is asked to be the subject of a documentary for a down-on-his-luck producer…but what will this mean for her family still north of the border?

KAFA+ Next D – “3D, Once Again”

MAD SAD BAD (신촌좀비만화) – directors Ryoo Seung-wan (류승완), Han Ji-seung (한지승), Kim Tae-yong (김태용)

Ghost (유령)

3D omnibus MAD SAD BAD opened the 2014 Jeonju Int. Film Festival, and features a variety of genres. The best is easily the supernatural drama Picnic by director Kim Tae-yong, while director Ryoo Seung-wan’s thriller Ghost – based on real events of teens who murder due to sns – is also good. Zombie comedy/horror I Saw You by director Han Ji-seung completes the omnibus.

K-Indie Genre Strikes!

12 Deep Red Nights (십이야: 깊고 붉은 열두 개의 밤 Chapter 1) – director Oh In-chun (오인천)

Four horror stories are told in the film

Director Oh In-chun, fresh from 2014 horror/romance Mourning Grave, returns with an omnibus of four chilling stories. Rather than separate tales, the events – titled Driver, PM 11:55, atmosFEAR and The Secret Night – are all interlinked. Director Oh’s film is also intended as the first part of a series of 12 horrors.

Mizo (미조) – director Nam Ki-woong (남기웅)

Mizo and Woo-sang have a violently sexual relatonship

Mizo premiered at Jeonju Film Fest 2014. The film depicts the story of a girl left in the trash as a child, who later returns to the area as an adult and forms relationships with the corrupt people living there, preparing her revenge. Mizo is violent and overtly sexual, but then that should come as no surprise from the director of Teenage Hooker Became a Killing Machine.

My Secret Partner (완벽한 파트너) – director Park Heon-soo (박헌수)

Comedy and sex mix to fun effect in this light-hearted take on modern relationships

Also known as Perfect Partner, this raunchy sex-comedy follows a screenwriter and a chef who, due to suffering from a severe lack of inspiration, embark on sexual relationships with their students to help unleash their passions. Yet the young objects of their lust have motivations of their own. Will the controversial relationships prove fruitful?

Ownerless Flower Uhwudong (어우동: 주인 없는 꽃) – director Lee Soo-sung (이수성)

An erotic love triangle features

Released in January 2015, Ownerless Flower Uhwudong is a rare independent period drama featuring plenty of lust and debauchery through the narrative, which centers on a twisted love triangle amongst the social elite. Director Lee Soo-sung is no stranger to raunchy material having helmed sex comedy Mango Tree in 2013, though his latest marks a big improvement.

Playboy Bong (아티스트 봉만대) – director Bong Man-dae (봉만대)

Tensions arise on the set of an erotic movie

Another sexy-comedy to arrive at BiFan 2015 is Playboy Bong. The film explores a film crew that go to Bali to shoot an erotic movie, but the producers are underwhelmed with the early footage. To salvage the film, porn director Bong Man-dae is hired yet when he arrives and begins demanding more erotic scenes, his presence escalates the situation.

Rough Play (배우는 배우다) – director Shin Yeon-shick (신연식)

An actor traverses madness

An unofficial sequel of sorts to Rough Cut, Rough Play premiered at Busan Film Fest in 2013. Written by Kim Ki-duk, the film explores the life of a struggling actor who finally becomes a star, yet as his power rises so does his arrogance, leading to an epic fall from grace. Ironically the film was responsible for catapulting idol star Lee Joon’s popularity, particularly for the inclusion of a bed scene.

The Stone (스톤) – director Cho Se-rae (조세래)

The gentlemen’s game of baduk turns violent

The Stone combines the criminal underworld with the classic Asian game of baduk. A young genius baduk player uses his skills to hustle local small time gangsters, yet when his ability comes to the attention of a crime boss, the two strike up an unlikely friendship. Through their gentlemanly games, they begin to see the errors of their ways.

To see PART 1 of our BiFan profile, please click here.

For the full BiFan screening schedule, please follow the link here.

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (제 19회 부천국제판타스틱영화제) Festival News Korean Film Festivals 2015

Mizo's intentions remain quite an enigma throughout the film

May 10, 2014July 8, 2015

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Mizo (미조) – ★★☆☆☆

Mizo (미조)

In a seedy, crime-ridden city a young woman named Mizo (Lee Hyo (이효) forms a strange sexual relationship with brutal low-life thug Woo-sang (Yoon Dong-hwan (윤동환). As their love/hate affair develops, Mizo discovers that the extremely violent Woo-sang was a former detective, turning his back on the law following a shocking scandal with a bar-girl (Sin So-mi (신소미). Much to the chagrin of Woo-sang, his old girlfriend is now living with a small-time local gangster (Lee Jeong-yong (이정용), and the men clash over both her and Mizo. Yet the enigmatic Mizo is harboring a secret and an overpowering desire for revenge that could bring about the ruination of them all.

Mizo and Woo-sang have a violently sexual relatonship

Mizo is a film of excess in almost every respect, but then perhaps that’s to be expected from director Nam Gi-woong (남기웅), who previously helmed Teenage Hooker Became a Killing Machine in 2009. It is probably also unsurprising that the film is laced with misogyny. Indeed, shortly after the film begins Mizo is located within a motel instigating, as well as simultaneously enjoying and being a victim of, violent sexual intercourse with a man twice her age. This would be fine, of course, if the film were exploring the fraught life of a young prostitute yet no efforts are made to do so as director Nam appears more interested in shocking spectacle rather than introspection.

To his credit, director Nam does employ plenty of such displays through using taboo subjects, and fans of such stylisation will undoubtedly find much to be entertain by. The world that he has constructed is a dark and vice-filled underworld of sex and violence, and the altercations that arise between characters are often quite visceral and barbaric. Typically the motivations behind the violent confrontation involve Mizo and/or Woo-sang’s ex-girlfriend, with the men on either side fighting for ownership over one or both of them. Enlightened it is not.

Mizo faces her nemesis and rival for Woo-sang’s affections

Either way, it is extremely difficult to care who wins any conflict due to the woeful characterisation and absurdity of events. Two-dimension stereotypes are employed throughout the entirety of the film to the point of genuine annoyance. Woo-sang is a lumbering Neanderthal with zero redeeming qualities; Woo-sang’s rival, the small-time crook who ‘stole’ his ex, merely shouts and swears at every opportunity; and the bar madam is simply a victim waiting to be saved. As the titular protagonist Mizo escapes such treatment somewhat, but usually because she flits from one stereotype to the next creating an aura of unpredictability.

As Mizo, newbie actress Lee Hyo performs well. While the role itself is limited, Lee Hyo conveys a strong sense of melancholy in conjunction with quirks pertaining to being psychologically unbalanced. Her performance is ultimately what holds the entire film together as while the narrative itself is quite predictable, she is anything but. For much of the running time Lee Hyo is required to be aloof and unbalanced, yet when she has the opportunity to delve deeper into emotional material she does so in a melodramatic, but competent fashion.

Mizo’s intentions remain quite an enigma throughout the film

Verdict:

Mizo is a drama of sexual and violent excess, but then perhaps that’s to be expected from director Nam Gi-woong, who was previously responsible for Teenage Hooker Was A Killing Machine. For fans of such spectacle, Mizo will quite likely be entertained and to his credit director Nam constructs a believable environment within which it occurs. However the film is blighted by a poor script and terrible characterisation, while the narrative is ultimately quite absurd. Newbie actress Lee Hyo holds the drama together well with a lofty, unpredictable aura yet introspective Mizo certainly is not.

★★☆☆☆