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Time

Written by Nobuhiro Hosoki

 

In South Korea, cosmetic surgery is so popular that half of the women in their 20's have had some kind of procedure. Putting his knife into this epidemic trend, thought-provoking director, Kim ki-duk examines how the allure of plastic surgery can be very tempting for a disturbingly high-strung woman, Seh-hee (Park Ji-yun), after a two-year relationship with her boyfriend Ji-woo (Ha   Jung-woo), their romance goes sour, and there is a slowly diminishing sexual  interest as well.

Her fear is starting to escalate, particularly when she sees Ji is paying attention to another woman. This time she goes ballistic, then disappears from Ji's life after a memorable scene where shes encourage him to imagine someone else when they make love. She finally decides to undergo radical plastic surgery, even though she may be left with an unrecognizable face.

Even after she heals from the surgery, time flies and they go for six months without any encounter, suffering both together and separately as they try to sort out their lives. Ji-woo is still obsessed with his girlfriend's disappearance. One day, at an island park filled with gigantic erotic sculpture that they frequently visited, he encounters a Seh-hee look-alike girl with huge sunglasses and a mask. With her fresh face, she emerges as a waitress in a cafe. Ji strikes up the friendship with this attractive waitress not realizing it is Seh, even though she gave him a similar name.

The film engages in a thrilling suggestive game and takes on an ironic stance of human fragility. Even though audiences realize that this is an unrealistic attempt to rekindle their relationship,  their yearning and throbbing hearts can be someting we all relate to.

Director Kim has made memorable films ranging from violent gangster films to quiet ones about spirituality. This time he manages to question  our belief that a physical change might alter our way of seeing a human being, crafting a mood of yearning throughout that is full of poetic observation. In the end only fools can be deceived by physical appearance, for time can never be stopped.

Written (in Korean, with English subtitles),
produced, directed and edited by Kim Ki-duk
Director of photography: Sung Jong-moo
Music by Noh Hyung-woo
Art director: Choi Keun-woo
Released by LifeSize Entertainment.
Running time: 97 minutes.
This film is not rated.

Cast: Seong Hyeon-ah (See-hee)
Ha Jung-woo (Ji-woo)
Park Ji-yun (Seh-hee),
and Kim Sung-min (Doctor).