The Isle (2000)

Directed by Kim Ki-Duk

Produced by Eun Lee

Starring Jung Suh, Yoo-Seok Kim, Sung-Hee Park, Hahng-Sun Jang, Jae-Hyun Cho

Forget everything you may have read or heard about Kim Ki-Duk's controversial adult drama, as it all patently untrue. It is however a film that has been the victim of sensationalist journalism, beat up and trumpeted on account of a handful of scenes (that probably account for less than a few minutes of screen time) in deference of its central thought-provoking narrative. It is NOT a horror film. It is NOT a racy sex film. It is most defiantly NOT a work of mindless exploitation, nor is it Korea's answer to Oshima's "Ai No Corrida". What it IS is a disarming, and heart-rending, exploration of human relationships and the pain of being in love, and being loved. Pulp fans had best give up right now, as the "shocking" taboo-breaking gore-fest you have been reading about quite simply does not exist. For everyone else, most particularly those who have suffered at the hands of a relationship that has left them despondent and scarred by its emotional turmoil, Kim Ki-Duk's film will be a bitterly painful experience.

Nestled in amongst the greenery of a small Korean river-based fishing village, mute shopkeeper Hin-jin (Jung) serves the local fishermen. By day she provides them with bait, food and supplies via her timeworn dinghy, by night she prostitutes herself to their loneliness as a means of subsidising her income. Into this ritual melee-like wilderness comes haunted loner Hyun-shik (Yoo-seok), a man running from his past. At first angst-laden to suicidal ends over the death of a former lover, Hyun quietly settles into life amongst the fishermen, finding solitude amidst the bobbing waves from his personal demons.

As time passes, Hin begins to exhibit a more than passing interest in Hyun, silently enduring the cruel jibes of the fishermen as an obsessive love for the enigmatic stranger swells from her loneliness. When police come calling in the search for an illegal immigrant, panic consumes Hyun that they have come for him and, swallowing a handful of fishhooks, he attempts suicide. Catching his pain, Hin cannot bear the thought of being robbed of the object of her affections, calmly saving his life. Unable to comfort him with words, she uses her body to "heal" him. At first Hyun rejects her, calling on a local prostitute to seemingly spite her. When the prostitute starts to visit of her own accord, having found herself smitten with the brooding Hyun, Hin seethes with jealousy. Hin harbours a far darker side than even the skeletons in Hyun's closet are prepared for.

I found Kim Ki-Duk's film a delicate, brooding exploration of the nature of obsessive love, and its sometimes-damaging consequences. Both Hyun-shik and Hin-jin are characters that crave love, yet shun it when it comes to them, as they are deeply aware of the destructive qualities it brings out in them. Jung Suh is a revelation in her first screen role as the mute Hin-jin, imbuing her character with volumes of captivating intricacies through mere expression. What this girl manages with her eyes alone is much more than many seasoned actors can achieve with a resume of life's works. Kim engages her as his focal point for the viewer, hinting at her darker leanings while evoking a heavy empathy for her. Additionally, her desire for a man in her life, which Yoo-seok Kim becomes, is played as painfully real as you would like to get. Indeed, "the isle" of the title refers to Kim's symbolic gravitation that the sexes display for each other, each seeking their own retreat from themselves to become a castaway upon.

Juxtaposed against this moving portrait of lost human beings searching for love that will free them from the mundane qualities of their lives, Kim crafts exquisite visuals. Daybreaks are captured in their first morning beauty, ethereal fog shrouds the lake creating an otherworldly landscape, underwater photography is murky and refreshingly lifelike. Suh-Shik Hwang's economic cinematography captures the visuals that set Kim's pained love story apart from other films with eloquent style. Dialogue and music is sparse throughout, yet Sang-Yun Jun's music design conjures a magical soul for Kim's moving script. It is minimalist, piano and keyboard-strings driven, yet warm and profoundly touching. Yes, there are moments that will shock conventional viewers (of which have been detailed by the "hype press" en-masse), but these are brief and vital to Kim's oeuvre.

After a fearfully frightening opening few minutes that are awash with a soft image and film artefacts galore (white speckles and print damage), Universe's disc settles down and quickly administers lush visuals that compliment the beautifully shot story. Frame composition appears correct at approximately 1.77:1, and the image (apart from the aforementioned issues) is largely free of the usual blemishes that mar Chinese discs. Colours are well rendered and image detail & clarity remains consistently exceptional (if sometimes a tad soft) throughout. Audio is channeled in Dolby 2.0 stereo, which is completely adequate once the material is taken into account. With limited dialogue and music, there isn't really much of an enhancement that the excess of 5.1 remix could offer. To be honest, such a remix would simply be overkill and ruinous to this understated little masterpiece. There are a smattering of extras included on this disc, with Cast & Crew biographies, the theatrical trailer, and an additional trailer for the Korean drama "Happy End".

I suppose you were all expecting a sensationalistic review of this quite wondrous film, detailing the shocking aspects of its narrative. However, once seen, the film proved to be an entirely different animal from the one that has been painted of it by a wealth of critics and reviewers across the international circuit. To draw attention to a few minutes of raw footage in such a moving, sometimes disturbing, yet always-painful emotional journey is an injustice that Kim's film does not deserve thrust upon it. If you seek out this film solely on the premise that some scribe ranted about its visual combination of fishhooks and vaginas, then I have to be honest and say you'll get what you deserve. Disappointment. However, if you are prepared to overlook what the "hype" is saying about it, then you will be rewarded with one of the most unconventional love stories to have been blessed with a wide release. I found it a saddening, troubling, and ultimately emotional experience that was unafraid of pulling back from the destructive qualities that love can sometimes bring to two people. Without wanting to sound like a pretentious arthouse geek, this is quite possibly the best film I've seen this year and its images and emotions will stay with me for quite some time to come.

Review by M.C.Thomason