A film that flaunts its Korean-ness, from the classic tale of a governor’s son who secretly marries a courtesan’s daughter, to the use of pansori (traditional musical storytelling with a singer and drummer), all pegged to the effortless pacing of a master director.
Im’s swift and nimble war epic eschews subtlety and nuance for an emotionally charged work about the moral dilemma of taking ideological sides as Korea became tragically divided after WWII.
This mystery-drama set in a remote village alternates between blissfulness and the ominous, exploring the transgression of hidden desires through the lens of sexuality.
Exquisitely shot and not without its dense subject matter, Im’s transcendent film is a masterful look at secularism and asceticism from a bold, singular lens of Buddhism.
Eternality Tan 