Having its US' Premiere at the 9th New York Underground Film Festival, 2002, and quite fittingly, "Teenage Hooker Became a Killing Machine", or to give it its full Korean title "Daehakno-yeseo maechoon-hadaka tomaksalhae danghan yeogosaeng ajik Daehakno-ye Issda" is one hell of a train ride. An exploitation movie with added zest, that's exploitation as in plot and narrative, and too, genre. This concoction of sci-fi - horror and surreal black comedy is director Gee-woong Nam's coming together of the generation gap, represented by So-yun Lee as the young schoolgirl and her middle-aged teacher Dae-tong Kim and each character having no name except being called by their respective parts. This is where youth is seen as promiscuous, beautiful and in the same breath being independent to the limits of self-exploitive to further her own gains. The older generation is seen as square and exploitive of their young, ugly and controlling while at the same time forming the next generations path for their own needs; nasty business indeed, from both sides.
Most definitely a love it or hate it movie if bizarre and surrealism is your thing, with its unforgettable dance ritual, between Teacher and Teenage hooker, that can quite possibly be translated as sexual foreplay, the films highlight and most surreal moment. The soft focused and gritty imaginary can also be translated as to replicate a dream like state that this young Teenage hooker resides, but somehow the horrors of reality are more than evident with the political stance it takes. This may have its surreal fantasy overtones but its underlining concept of social controls and its menacing delivery is never far away. Macabre and unsettling to say the least.
Wronged and betrayed by a society that is meant to care for her she is finally put to rest by what can only be deemed as a corrupt and hypocritical system in the guise of three "morality" killers who then go about cutting and chopping our young lady to pieces.
Exploited from beyond the grave, reborn and rebuilt; think of Fritz Lang's 1927 classic Metropolis, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Luc Besson's Nikita and roll them all into one. Using her schoolgirl charm, once more, to infiltrate her targets, as she once had with her punters-of-the-night this sweet and innocent looking demeanour has transcended into a highly skilled robotic killing machine, a creation of SDH, Division 6. A man-made tool, this killing machine's thoughts are very similar to her past life's thoughts: socially programmed, a means to an end. But, has it all been a very bad dream? With the Teachers final insights are we to believe that this young girl is not metallic but still in fact human, but, subconsciously and unknowingly, still, a by-product of the system, eroding away any form of individualism and will? Gee-woong Nam's film of fantasy and science fiction has evolved into a midnight movie classic that when finally surfacing from the underground movement shall become one of Koreas finest moments. Seek it out. Be amazed.
Most definitely a love it or hate it movie if bizarre and surrealism is your thing, with its unforgettable dance ritual, between Teacher and Teenage hooker, that can quite possibly be translated as sexual foreplay, the films highlight and most surreal moment. The soft focused and gritty imaginary can also be translated as to replicate a dream like state that this young Teenage hooker resides, but somehow the horrors of reality are more than evident with the political stance it takes. This may have its surreal fantasy overtones but its underlining concept of social controls and its menacing delivery is never far away. Macabre and unsettling to say the least.
Wronged and betrayed by a society that is meant to care for her she is finally put to rest by what can only be deemed as a corrupt and hypocritical system in the guise of three "morality" killers who then go about cutting and chopping our young lady to pieces.
Exploited from beyond the grave, reborn and rebuilt; think of Fritz Lang's 1927 classic Metropolis, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Luc Besson's Nikita and roll them all into one. Using her schoolgirl charm, once more, to infiltrate her targets, as she once had with her punters-of-the-night this sweet and innocent looking demeanour has transcended into a highly skilled robotic killing machine, a creation of SDH, Division 6. A man-made tool, this killing machine's thoughts are very similar to her past life's thoughts: socially programmed, a means to an end. But, has it all been a very bad dream? With the Teachers final insights are we to believe that this young girl is not metallic but still in fact human, but, subconsciously and unknowingly, still, a by-product of the system, eroding away any form of individualism and will? Gee-woong Nam's film of fantasy and science fiction has evolved into a midnight movie classic that when finally surfacing from the underground movement shall become one of Koreas finest moments. Seek it out. Be amazed.