301, 302 (1995) User Reviews

Sex, cooking, eating

[Synss · 7/10 · 17 March 2005]

A policeman rings at the 301 to inquire about the 302, who disappeared. A young woman opens the door and feeds him with fried chicken, wine, salad...

She appears to be only interested in sex, cooking and eating. Where that is just everything the young woman from the 302 hates.

The movie is the story of these two women. How they met and how they made these choices for their lives. They were apparently not meant to meet, but they have in common their extreme loneliness.

The movie is also about love and loneliness.

The very beginning is brilliant: two little girls present their mother's fridge and that is really enjoyable, really. The colors are beautiful (as often in Asian movies). But all in all, I cannot say I completely liked it. It is a bit long some times and comes with no surprise (at least I guessed the end rather early), although a mystery-thriller. The psychology of 302 is not that clear (or maybe not that interesting, or maybe I am only interested in sex, cooking and eating). And another thing very Asian is the close-ups on people's mouth when they are eating. But there are interesting things, still.

At least, you will leave the theater starving or start a diet right away (I am of the first kind...).

For completeness, I shall add that both actresses are beautiful and eventually get naked.

Disturbing and Poetic

[sarahchogreen · 7/10 · 6 December 2009]

Psychological Foreign (Korean) Thriller

Stimulating cinematography, foreign artistic humor, unconventional yet identifiable characters, cohesive character development and interaction, slow start.. interesting movie.

Humorously misleading packaging (US Version) DVD case reads something along the lines of, "food, sex, and humor" with an image of lovemaking and Korean food. Yes, these are the core themes of 301, 302 but to label this movie as just that for an unprepared audience.. well that's like serving up a plate of stinky tofu and describing it as "healthy Asian food." I absolutely love it, it's genius.

Intriguing thriller

[zetes · 7/10 · 10 March 2013]

Eun-jin Pang is a gourmet chef who lives in apartment 301 and Sin-Hye Hwang is an bulimic writer who lives in apartment 302. Hwang disappears and Pang is interviewed by a detective. Pang was the last person who saw Hwang alive, but she says she has no idea where her neighbor is. Flashbacks reveal a different story. This is an entertaining, lurid thriller with a couple of very good performances and some awesome looking food (and some not so awesome looking food). Cheol-su Park's direction is quite good, especially the excellent composition. He recently was struck by a car while crossing the street and passed away. 301/302 was one of the first South Korean films to be distributed in the United States.

Definitely bizarre,but a little bit disappointing South Korean thriller.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 6/10 · 16 February 2005]

This South Korean offbeat thriller won the 1995 Grand Bell award in its native country.Song-Hee lives in room 301 and Yun-hee in room 302 of the New Hope Apartments.After meeting,they realize they have opposing but eerily complementary neuroses:Song-Hee likes to cook,and Yun-hee hates food.And so begins a strange friendship that attracts scrutiny when one of them disappears."301,302" is not as disturbing as it's reputed to be.Even slightly horrifying climax is predictable and not surprising at all.The pace is extremely slow and the film becomes quickly boring.Some viewers may be disgusted by a huge numbers of close-ups of food,but I wasn't offended in the least.Still the director Cheol-su Park draws some interesting parallels between sex and food.Overall,if you are a fan of Asian horror give this one a look.6 out of 10.

Vomit, puke and nausea

[d_pokrajac · 31 May 2003]

This is a masterpiece, but if I had known the end, I would have NEVER watched it. The movie is a story about two lonely frustrated women, one intelectual and another housewife. One a habitual eater, and another slim and anorexic. And, well, instead of lesbian relationship (which someone else would put in the movie) we have... well you will see... Just a warning: DO NOT EAT NOTHING prior to watching the movie.

A Meal Not Quite Fit For a King

[ncc1205 · 6/10 · 11 March 2005]

A thin but attractive writer has suddenly gone missing and the only suspect appears to be her comely neighbor in Cheol-su Park's "301/302." The central fascination of "301/302" deals with two decidedly different women – one an extrovert, one an introvert – whose lives have been corrupted by food: the chef (Apt. 301) based most of her husband's affections and later her own inadequacies of providing exceptional meals while the anorexic writer (Apt. 302) can't shed the memories of her sexually abusive father – who worked as a butcher – and refuses to eat as a consequence. Now divorced, 301 meets 302 and transfers her love to her new neighbor, trying against all odds to get the thin, pale woman to eat her meals.

The film has several plot inconsistencies that are never cleared up. 302 appears to have virtually no contact with anyone except for the occasional telephone call from a mysterious editor/writer/friend, but yet the very morning after her disappearance the police have gone looking for her. An unnamed building resident last witnessed 302 going into 301's apartment, but the hallways are always empty and void of other people. Then, in the film's final moments, it becomes clear that 301 has adopted some of 302's physical appearance, cutting her hair to match that of the thin writer; given her desire to eat and eat and eat, why would she suddenly choose to adopt the looks of one who abhorred eating? However, in the broader recipe, these points aren't significant. What matters most is the relationship these two women have with one another and their past lives. Their respective histories are told in effective if not alarming flashbacks, and, despite their differences, it becomes thematically clear why they would be inevitably drawn to one another in the unique environment created by the filmmaker. The viewer can see the conclusion coming, but, like preparing a good meal, it's really more about eating than it is the cooking.

It's an odd relationship, but – if not predictably – these two women are destined to be together. Only 301 can fix 302's problems … with a solution that isn't exactly a five-star dessert.

Director Park Cheol Soo shows that the consumption of gourmet food cannot make everybody happy.

[FilmCriticLalitRao · 6/10 · 9 January 2016]

South Korean film '301/302' describes the effect food has on two women who live difficult lives in their individual apartments. Both of them don't have anything in common but it is food which is able to bring them closer albeit with disastrous results. Director Park Cheol Su has made numerous films which have depicted the world from the point of view of women. This feminine touch is also evident in 301/302 which goes beyond the realms of being a simple film about food. The film features a very stark portrayal of serious problems faced by its female protagonists which include both emotional as well as sexual exploitation at the hands of family members. For a film with a lot of drama, the pace of 301/302 is fast as various stories are merged together to advance the overall pace of the film. The sight of gourmet food in this film might induce some viewers to value food as the most important pleasure in life. However, after a careful examination of the lives led by two leading ladies there would be viewers who might be forced to change their overall perspective about food and life in general. One should be careful to recognize this strong aspect of the film.

Disturbing, disgusting, and just really, really gross

[Shannon-32 · 6/10 · 7 February 2005]

I've seen better horror films than this (and trust me, I haven't seen many of them). This movie is like an Asian version of "The Green Butchers," a Danish horror flick. It's a cross between "Psycho" and "The Little Shop of Horrors." It's also really gross.

A divorced gourmet chef moves in to an apartment #301 and for some reason, can't understand why her neighbor, in apt. #302, won't eat and won't experience the pleasures of sex. This is a dark comedy with an extremely grim.

Let's put it this way. I never want to see this film again. My mom told me to see it since she thought it was good. This is the last time I take my mom's word on foreign cinema (which she really dislikes for the most part).

Bizarre and Fascinating

[Mitch-38 · 8/10 · 3 February 2001]

Very dark and mysterious film that interweaves a relationship between two neighbors, and a present day investigation. The screenplay is pondersome, and yet deliberate, in feeding (pardon the pun) the viewer certain amounts of information at a time. We get to know the characters, and exceptionally so, their quirks. The atmosphere is very dark, and claustrophobic, which adds so much to the film. The memories are haunting. It would be very hard not to talk about this movie after viewing it. Creepy, and at times, rather darkly funny, 301/302 is an offbeat choice very worthy of your consideration. Recommended.

pretty well made but who in their right mind would WANT to see this?!

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 9 July 2006]

Contains Spoilers--This is Your Last Warning!!! After seeing this movie, I really wish I hadn't. It isn't because it nauseated or haunted me (it didn't) but it did deal with things no human being NEEDS to think about or watch in a film! If you aren't into vomit and cannibalism, STOP READING THIS REVIEW and for goodness sake, DON'T WATCH THIS FILM! While technically well made, the film is, despite the weirdness pretty predictable once you begin watching. You kind of figured the ending before it is revealed. But, once again I wonder WHY anyone would want to make such a film?! The lady in apartment 301 just moved in and she is recently divorced. The lady in 302 is excessively withdrawn and shy and seems to suffer from Agoraphobia--being afraid of the world and instead stays in her apartment all the time. This is a problem, because the lady in 301 wants to be friendly but no matter what she tries, the lady in 302 keeps her distance.

After a while, Ms. 301 begins cooking and bringing dishes to Ms. 302. But 302 cannot stand the smell, sight or taste of ANY food and throws up after Ms. 301 leaves the food. Every time Ms. 301 brings food, Ms. 302 just pitches it all in the garbage. One day, Ms. 302 is taking the trash out and Ms. 301 sees all the food she's worked so hard to make is being pitched. So, naturally, the lady from 301 goes nuts and begins abusing Ms. 302--shoving her around and forcing her to eat the old festering food. It's almost like a "food rape" how 301 behaves towards 302.

Ms. 302 later explains why she didn't eat the food though a series of flashbacks. It seems that 302 was raped as a teen repeatedly by her father (how 301 guessed this earlier in the film is a total mystery). Analytic therapists would likely appreciate how Ms. 302 has not only developed an intense phobia about having sex, but about having any object enter her body (including food). How she survived so long makes little sense, as she can't tolerate ANYTHING to eat. Ms. 301 feels bad and says she'll try making things that won't bother 302's stomach, but no matter what she tries it all is vomited.

Then, through flashbacks we see 301's story. She was a very happy housewife who lived to cook, keep house and make passionate love to her undeserving husband. Over time, he became less and less attentive and ignored all the wonderful things she did for him. So, in turn, her meals became more and more spectacular, as she was trying to win his love through food. This was to no avail, plus since he was eating less and less, she put on weight eating all the food she so painstakingly made.

Eventually, she catches him with a floozy. He denies it, but she is enraged. To punish him, she takes his favorite possession, their cute little doggy, and serves it to him in a meal! Even in Korea, this is bound to cause marital problems and this is her not so subtle way of demanding a divorce! Well, considering how violent and wacky Ms. 301 is, it wasn't hard to assume that somewhere along the line she'd get around to cooking Ms. 302. 302 is amazed with 301's story--especially since the dog apparently was very tasty. So, she asks Ms. 301 to cook and eat her--and, Ms. 301 also being insane, complies.

The butchering and eating sequence of the film isn't nearly as disgusting as it might have been. However, even if done "tastefully" (get it?), it is such a gross an unnecessary thing to put in a film. Sure, there are sick ^!*#!*%!^*#$@@ out there, but do we need to make films about them? Or, more importantly, make judgment-neutral films about them?! So, the cat's out of the bag, so to speak. The film is about two totally insane women and the cannibalism that concludes the movie. If you are a sick and twisted freak, then this film is for you. All others beware!!!

A final note: This movie reminds me of the Japanese director Miike's film, THE AUDITION. It, too, was about a sick and disturbed woman who loves to cut people to pieces. It, too, is not worth seeing except by maniacs.

Bizarre, disgusting, and unique

[ThrownMuse · 8/10 · 1 February 2005]

The woman living alone in apartment 302 is a writer who finds food repulsive and indigestible. Her new neighbor across the hall, living alone in 301, is a cook who is obsessed with food to the point where it dictates her life. Upon discovering her new neighbor's dislike for food, 301 makes it her mission to make 302 eat and enjoy her delectable meals. This leads to a very twisted relationship between the two women, as well as an exploration into the nasty experiences that influenced their current relationships with food.

This Korean film is a cinematic oddity that is definitely a unique viewing experience. It is filled with rather disgusting visuals of food preparation (vegetarians, this is a warning!). The close-ups of people gorging on various food items are bound to make anyone squeamish. The DVD I saw was full screen and the transfer appeared poor, but the cinematography is great with an excellent use of vivid colors. Also, the inventive set design deserves praise, as most of the film takes place either in 302 (very sterile, library-like apartment) or 301 (very sleek and vibrant restaurant-like apartment with a futuristic looking kitchen). The two lead actresses give terrific performances and it is perverse fun watching them torment each other.

The story moves at a slow pace but it works. There are various interesting flashbacks that are crucial to the plot, but unlike other movies with stories that are not told chronologically, this timeline is not difficult to follow. However, what actually happens during one of the flashbacks was a bit confusing due to the way that particular scene was filmed. This scene seemed vital to the story, so I think part of this movie was lost on me. One common theme in the movie is a link between sex and food that is not completely explored but still fascinating and provoking.

301,302 is an interesting and original but often confusing film that I would recommend to folks interested in Asian horror cinema beyond the current popular films. As is the case is with swimming, do not view this after or while eating!

That is a lot of red meat

[Meganeguard · 8/10 · 30 October 2006]

Director: Park Cheol-su Duration: 100 Minutes

301/302 opens with an investigator visiting the residence of 301, a recently divorced woman who is a master chef, after the disappearance of 302 because she is the one who last saw the missing woman. Unperturbed, 301 invites the investigator to have some fried chicken which he states is the best he ever tasted. The film then goes into a series of flashbacks, showing when 301 moved into her apartment neighboring that of 302. A boisterous, talkative woman is a bit put off by the coldness of her neighbor who prefers to not utter a single word than to accept 301's greetings. However, 302's coldness, and her slender figure, entices 301 to get to know her better, so she cooks 302 a mouthwatering meal. Yet, after 301 departs, 302 tosses the food into the fridge and hurries to the restroom to vomit as if the mere sight of food makes her sick. 301 continues to bring 302 food and each dish ends up in the garbage. After discovering this, 301 tries to force 302 to eat the food, but 302 explains that she cannot eat that her body rejects the food. She also cannot engage in sex because of similar reasons. She states that she has a great filth inside of her that does not allow her to enjoy food or sex and she wishes her body would disintegrate.

After learning this, 301 continues to make more food, foods that she terms to be tender, but no matter how well prepared 302 cannot eat the food and always vomits it all up. After awhile the viewer finally learns 302's dark past. However, she is not the only one with a dark past. Why is 301 so insistent that 302 eats her food? It seems that 302 is not the only one with issues.

The two main themes of 301/302 are food and sexuality. 302 is unable to enjoy or indulge in food or sex while 301 is fond of both. However, because of her rocky marriage and later her divorce she is unable to engage in a fulfilling sexual life so she indulges in food instead. Yet she is not just overeating, she is literally engorging herself with food gaining more than half her bodyweight. 302, on the other hand, is wasting away because of her fears associated with food and sex. A complex, dark film, 301/302 is quite a thought provoking film, but one that should definitely not be watched after enjoying a big meal.

303

[Semih · 8/10 · 10 May 2001]

This film is such a delight. This was the first Korean film I watched. The second one to follow was "Gojitmal" (Lies). If you've seen these two films then you would understand what I mean when I say "Korean cinema is Weird!". But ofcourse that changed after I continued watching other Korean films. But back to 301, 302: A very well written and directed film. Pay attention to the lighting and set decor as it really adds to the story. I enjoyed this film very much and it really helped me because I was trying to lose some weight around that time and after seeing this film I did not have to worry about my appetite anymore. I highly recommend seeing it. The director did another great film called "Push Push" which I also highly recommend.

Re: Twisted and Repulsive

[sudu_d · 8/10 · 11 August 2002]

**** SPOILERS POSSIBLY**** I thought the director did an excellent job of trying to catch the essence of so called humankind ...food and sex..... He tries to focus on the wastefulness of human life and I was quite impressed with the way he does it. I actually felt quite repulsed by the end of the movie. A Fascinating twist, though slightly predictable (but then I grew up reading Alfred Hitchcock mystery magazines and Dahl's short stories). It was fascinating to see the way it is done.

I loved the lighting and I loved the gross camera closeups of peoples faces and butts..added to the repulsiveness.. Also, the fact that the movie just focused on 301/302 and never really went outside much. Everything was shot indoors(except a few scenes )..but all you see through out are just man made creations (not counting the food), you never see any nature around..it is all concrete and steel... For the food also, she always goes to a grocery store with the aisles and aisles of food. I thought it was dark reflection on the 'life' modern man leads. Also I think the director tries to make a statement on the paradigm in which the woman is a homemaker and has nothing to do after a while. There were times in the movie like when 302 is abused by her father or when 301 has sex with her husband that I was reminded of the way sex was portrayed in Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum)....as a disgusting and a compulsive act. In summary, I would highly recommend this movie....This is not a flick to pass ur time...it is a very thoughtful movie.

Excellent treatment of "women's work"

[Angus-17 · 10/10 · 25 July 1999]

Not quite the "comedy" that the VHS box bills it as, but very, very good. Might not want to watch it alone, though, or with anyone who likes to cook.

Korean weirdness at it's best

[Laserdome-AMH · 23 September 2003]

301 and 302 are two young women living next each other in the same building in a city somewhere in South Korea. 301 is cooking all the time. To become good neighbours, she presents 302 one of her meals. Little does she know that 302 is unable to eat anything because of her dark past. So she throws away all the meals 301 is cooking for her. Eventually, 301 becomes aware of this, and then the madness starts...

Another disturbing movie from Asia, this time coming from South Korea and it shows. Weird, dark, and sometimes really disgusting, but still more than worth it's money. Oh, before I forget: Please think twice before you are going to watch this movie while eating...

Nightmarish and Beautiful

[Bishonen · 10/10 · 9 October 1998]

A strikingly photographed and acted psychological horror film. Two seemingly different women are thrust together in an apartment complex; the machinations of one, to feed the other woman with her fetishistic recipes, and the other woman's need to suppress all appetite and contact with the world, are brought to a boil in a powerful and disturbing climax. What comes before is an absorbing and totally unique character study of two lonely people who flirt with madness and oblivion. The director subtly peels back layers of desperation and repression with the precision of a surgeon. Gripping, terrifying and totally, utterly original. SEE IT!!!

intriguing

[hexgirl311 · 10/10 · 14 June 2000]

I loved this movie. It's one of those fine pieces of cinema that really make you think. Asian films have always interested me, and this was one flick I enjoyed beyond belief. The relationship between the neighbors is just striking.... it draws you into their worlds. A must watch!

don't miss the point

[couperjohn · 8/10 · 7 April 2007]

People seem to compare this movie to "Saw" or "Grudge' or something, which is seriously missing the point. It isn't a horror flick, but something much less and more.

There are things about the direction that miss the mark, and the end is obvious (if still kind of shocking), but this story is about how people see themselves and trap each other. It's about two people who shut themselves off from the world and accidentally live next door-- very Existential, as the whole flick is. By focusing on and exaggerating our strangeness and how two people over the edge can complement each other, it is about sex on a much more intense and original level than any movie I have seen.

More than its content, it is an amazing piece of stripped-down movie-making that I can only compare to Nolan's "Following" for simplicity and low-budgetness. I suggest my students see these two on that count alone: how to do something unforgettable on no budget.

If you watch it for gore and twists, or FX, you'll waste your time. But for Zen-like imagination, it's hard to beat.

Unique, beautiful looking, unusual drama.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 8/10 · 12 November 2010]

Key to this movie is it's being a very unique watch. There isn't any other movie like "301, 302", which already makes this movie an original and unique one. It's also however a very good movie, that works out effective, despite of its unusual approach.

I can't really see how people can see this movie as an horror, thriller or mystery. To me, this movie above all things was a drama, due to its characters that are in it. Their stories and the way they progress throughout this movie really made me see this as a drama and was what also sucked me into the movie and story as a whole.

It also obviously helps that this movie is a very well put together one, when it comes down to its directing. It has some very good and unique storytelling, that lets the story come across as 'weird' but makes the movie involving to watch nevertheless. It's also visually a very attractive movie, in which food plays a very central role. The movie remains above all things a very visual orientated one, which in return also really strengthens the movie its atmosphere and story.

Perhaps this movie is being a bit too unusual for the mainstream audience but then again this movie is also obviously not aimed toward them. You could consider this an art-house movie but don't let that label immediately scare you off from ever seeing this movie. It remains a pretty much accessible one throughout and basically everybody should be able to appreciate the movie its visual and unique and effective approach of its story.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Not that gross or shocking

[carrotnoise · 4 January 2010]

I agree with the last reviewer, "what is everyone talking about". I love Korean films specifically, and that is because I'm not a big horror fan and Korean films tend to be dramatic romance films with great twists that probably get voted out of U.S. films during screening audiences. EVery good US film in the past few years has already been made 1st in Korea, even the horrible Keanu flick The Lake House, that was made twice in Korea in the early 2000's and thankfully, without Keanu. This movie was long and boring and after the 1st few minutes you know the neighbor ate 301. What I was looking for on here was something about the ending because I almost thought the director was suggesting a lil' more in the last few frames. 301 is eating the last meal, turns to look at the frozen head of 302, 302 is now a ghost image watching 301 sleep, film ends. Another reviewer above stated "why is 301 looking like 302 at the end" and that's where the ending throws me off. It's suggested in 1 of the flasbacks that 301 was forced to prepare a lil' girl for consumption by her gleeful stepdad at the thought of his being able to eat the young lost girl. A better ending the original ending started me thinking about was that actually 302 ate 301, then moved into her apartment as she was wishing she could just disappear the whole film. I'm confused by what I think the director was trying to say in the last few frames, thoughts?

Very cool horror flick about FOOD and SEX.

[mrkwang · 9/10 · 11 July 1999]

This movie is one of the best Korean horror movies ever made. When you watch this movie, you could see 2 women, one is very fond of food and one is unfond of food. Food-fonder makes food from every substance, but food-hater can't eat them all. At last, food fonder make food with... A must see movie for all of you horror fans!

predictable but good

[bosscain · 10/10 · 24 January 2005]

As a fan of Asian cinema I was happy when this movie came out on DVD. Although I did not know of this movie beforehand, its title and storyline sounded interesting to me so I decided to give it a try. I'm happy to say that while watching this movie I was both pleased and shocked at the same time and although the plot is not an original idea, the premise is new in a twisted sort of way. This is not your traditional hack and slash crazed maniac running through the woods "Im going to hunt you down and kill you" sort of horror movie, but I would still categorize it as horror, or maybe drama with a horror twist. Definitely worth your time if your into twisted Asian cinema. 10/10

SCARY!

[Chibi Riza · 8 November 2000]

This was a good movie (ha!I'm into Asian cinema!),but I found it rather creepy!Probably it was because of that 301 lady.

*MINOR SPOILERS* Man,she starts out to be friendly,but man,if you say "No" to that lady,she'll snap.If I lived nead 301 and she tried to invite me over,I'd run away in Horror.Especially when she runs out of food in that one scene and cooks her dog Wang-Wang(!)Yes I know her husband was flirting with other girls,but still,that was a mean trick.He should have gotten a divorce early after 301 and him were arguing over petty things.And how she treated 302!301 seemed like she was force feeding the poor girl.If 302 didn't want to eat,she didn't want to eat(yeah,I'd be too grossed out to eat too if I had to deal with a murderous, Michael Jackson-like butcher).Like I said,turn tail and run if someone like that lives near you.

Other than that,it's enjoyable.Watch it once.

Why are Foreign Films so.....Foreign?

[Bubba-50 · 15 April 1999]

I rented this film hoping for a Korean film similar to "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman". What a shock. I have enjoyed Asian cinema for years. I spent a year in Korea. I was not prepared.

But I did watch it twice. Hmmmmmm.