Always a sucker for plastic surgery films, I came to Kim Ki-Duk's TIME with trepidation as I suffered through his BAD GUY / NABBEUN NAMJA in Toronto a few years ago.
Seh-Hee is the insanely jealous girlfriend of Ji-Woo ("I want to pluck out the girls eyes whenever they look at you," she says in all seriousness). After going out for two years, Seh-Hee becomes convinced that she must get a new look to keep Ji-Woo interested. Despite her psychotic behavior, Ji-Woo is truly in love with her and is devastated by her sudden disappearance.
Six months later, he meets a woman at his favorite sculpture park. She toys with him mercilessly, driving a wedge between him and his loyalty to Seh-Hee. When it looks like he might be falling in love with this new girl, See-Heh, a note from Seh-Hee threatens to topple their relationship. Of course, Seh-Hee and See-Heh are the same person but it's not as easy as that. Ki-Duk won't allow this to be a "rose by any other name" love story or a THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO tale of revenge. This artsy fartsy flick (heavier on the artsy than the fartsy) explores the nature of love and identity. Not for people that can't stand embarrassing public arguments or oddly circular narratives, TIME is a compelling viewing experience.
Seh-Hee is the insanely jealous girlfriend of Ji-Woo ("I want to pluck out the girls eyes whenever they look at you," she says in all seriousness). After going out for two years, Seh-Hee becomes convinced that she must get a new look to keep Ji-Woo interested. Despite her psychotic behavior, Ji-Woo is truly in love with her and is devastated by her sudden disappearance.
Six months later, he meets a woman at his favorite sculpture park. She toys with him mercilessly, driving a wedge between him and his loyalty to Seh-Hee. When it looks like he might be falling in love with this new girl, See-Heh, a note from Seh-Hee threatens to topple their relationship. Of course, Seh-Hee and See-Heh are the same person but it's not as easy as that. Ki-Duk won't allow this to be a "rose by any other name" love story or a THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO tale of revenge. This artsy fartsy flick (heavier on the artsy than the fartsy) explores the nature of love and identity. Not for people that can't stand embarrassing public arguments or oddly circular narratives, TIME is a compelling viewing experience.