Despite the outstanding reviews, I find it difficult to really understand what made these people come to that opinion. Whilst it is a good movie, its downfall in my view was the lack of originality in the way it was made.
The story tells of a Chinese girl, Failan, who goes to Korea in search of her distant family. Penniless, she finds out they have moved to Canada and decides she wants to stay in Korea. Only problem was her Visa. In a sham marriage, she marries a man she never met and never will meet, Kang-jae, a hopeless underground gang member. On learning of Failan's death, Kang-jae receives a letter from Failan, and slowly learns of her love for him.
The story is a moving one and very well written. However, the film's direction was very wooden. Scenes were slow and very expressionless, despite the quality of the acting. There was little in the film that qualified in real excellence for me.
It's probably worth a watch if you're a movie fan, and if you'd like to see how Korean cinema is really taking off (after all this is a fairly decent effort). One for a quiet night in.
The story tells of a Chinese girl, Failan, who goes to Korea in search of her distant family. Penniless, she finds out they have moved to Canada and decides she wants to stay in Korea. Only problem was her Visa. In a sham marriage, she marries a man she never met and never will meet, Kang-jae, a hopeless underground gang member. On learning of Failan's death, Kang-jae receives a letter from Failan, and slowly learns of her love for him.
The story is a moving one and very well written. However, the film's direction was very wooden. Scenes were slow and very expressionless, despite the quality of the acting. There was little in the film that qualified in real excellence for me.
It's probably worth a watch if you're a movie fan, and if you'd like to see how Korean cinema is really taking off (after all this is a fairly decent effort). One for a quiet night in.