An enigmatic mystery that patiently develops and then becomes deeply entwined within its ambiguities, in what is another hypnotic gem by South Korea’s finest working filmmaker.

Lee Chang-dong’s Cannes Best Screenplay winner teaches us to be at peace with ourselves no matter how dark things might become, as an old lady suffering from the onset of Alzheimer’s turns to poetry writing for psychological comfort.

A serviceable debut feature that sees Lee Chang-dong attempting a neo-noir that sets up an underworld crime drama of bad decisions and painful consequences, with a touch of rare poignancy. 

Probably the director’s most challenging and audacious work about a social misfit who falls in love with a woman with cerebral palsy, featuring one of the all-timer performances by any lead actress in Moon So-ri.

Told in reverse chronology, this is a masterpiece that deals with South Korea’s ‘80s military dictatorship and its ensuing socioeconomic changes, and does it with such profound emotional and psychological clarity.