This movie begins with a young woman named "Ji-su" (Hye-su Kim) writing a novel on her computer keyboard. When she looks up she notices that objects within the room are floating all around her. At first she is more incredulous than anything else but as these objects suddenly come crashing down all around her she goes into a panic. Hearing her screams the husband "Min-seok" (Chang Yun) rushes in and attempts to calm his hysterical wife. Unable to do so he calls for an ambulance and Ji-su is then sedated and eventually hospitalized in a mental institution. Although the doctor in charge of her case is genuinely interested in helping her, it soon becomes clear that he is burned out and needs a change of scenery. So after consoling his patients by telling them that he is being replaced by a better doctor, he subsequently resigns. About a year later this same doctor, "Seok-won" (Taw-woo Kim) accidentally sees Ji-su causing a ruckus in a supermarket and after managing to calm the situation discovers that she has no recollection of him at all. One thing then leads to another and not long afterward she becomes his patient again. It's at this time however that he begins to have feelings for her which causes him to do things that are quite improper and unprofessional. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie I will just say that the director (In-shik Kim) chose to show his artistic nature and the results were initially rather impressive. However, as the film progressed it became a little dull after a while which eventually lessened the overall impact. Even so, it remained interesting for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.
5 Reviews
Underrated masterpiece
teodora_hu25 June 2005
This is an amazing movie, the kind that reminds us that cinema is not only a background entertainment for eating popcorn but a (complex) form of Art.
It has unique, beautiful visuals (won best cinematography prize at MIFF), and captivating soundtrack that perfectly suits the pictures, mood and story. The aching but beautiful, thrilling and sometimes erotic atmosphere itself makes it worthy to watch (as people like to watch even such nonsense movies as Wong Kar-wai's 2046 just for the picture and mood) but this time there's something even more valuable underneath the artistic surface: the story.
It's not a movie with gunfights and car chases so the plot can be summarized in one sentence. A girl with BPD (a personality disorder, kind of 'skizophrenia light') and her former psychiatrist meet and start to talk about their lives, and they get close and they get crazy and so on... Most of the "action" happens inside the characters, in their psyche, thoughts, feelings. But even with relatively few happenings there are a lot of surprises, twists in the story, nothing is what it seems to be at first. At times it can be a little difficult to know if we see reality or some imagination or hallucination of the characters but after a while it comes to light, and these "Wow!" and "Aha!"-like moments drag us even deeper in the turmoil of passion, desire, drama and despair. But this is the kind of pain which can be enjoyed for its beauty, the same reason why people like sad songs.
There are also a lot of things in this movie for the "thinking kind", for people who like to analyze, find reference, meaning, metaphors, symbols and so... Everything is in its place, almost every frame has a cleverly composed geometry, lighting, colors. I haven't seen Kim In-shik's first movie either but I will watch it soon, it must be good too. Acting is superb. I have a high interest in psychology so I read some books about this syndrome too. I think the director/writer and actors did much research on this - for an outsider it may not be obvious but the portrayal of BPD and the relationship of the characters are perfectly worked out (well, except some exaggeration like hallucinations). Lead actress Kim Hye-su won an award for it in Korea.
Anyway, I found some not-so-good reviews on the internet too so I'm aware of that it's not a movie for everyone. It's artsy and melancholic. Don't watch it when you're not in the mood - it'll be wasted. The best occasion is maybe a rainy, lonely night with a bottle of wine :) Also, it requires a certain amount of empathy, fantasy and openness. If you've never been depressed, lost, left alone, angry, instable, hoping, longing etc., then it's not so easy to feel for the characters, and probably a part of the story will mean nothing to you. The imaginations of Ji-Su are connected to her feelings, her strange but somewhat coherent inner world, so it also needs some empathy to see it in context. But the movie is still enjoyable for its artistic values or as a thriller, if someone just accepts that she's cracked and that's the way crazies are.
I think this film is mostly a drama and a thriller. There is some mystery in it, but it's not so far from the "reality" of lunatic people. What makes me surprised is to see this movie put in the horror genre. Wow. There is some blood and maybe a scary scene but it's definitely not a horror movie! It's worth checking out the film's official website for a taste of it, there are some beautiful flash videos ("Themes"). I watched them after seeing the film, and still being under its influence, they struck me.
It's sad that this movie haven't received more international recognition yet, and was only shown in a few countries. It deserves much more.
It has unique, beautiful visuals (won best cinematography prize at MIFF), and captivating soundtrack that perfectly suits the pictures, mood and story. The aching but beautiful, thrilling and sometimes erotic atmosphere itself makes it worthy to watch (as people like to watch even such nonsense movies as Wong Kar-wai's 2046 just for the picture and mood) but this time there's something even more valuable underneath the artistic surface: the story.
It's not a movie with gunfights and car chases so the plot can be summarized in one sentence. A girl with BPD (a personality disorder, kind of 'skizophrenia light') and her former psychiatrist meet and start to talk about their lives, and they get close and they get crazy and so on... Most of the "action" happens inside the characters, in their psyche, thoughts, feelings. But even with relatively few happenings there are a lot of surprises, twists in the story, nothing is what it seems to be at first. At times it can be a little difficult to know if we see reality or some imagination or hallucination of the characters but after a while it comes to light, and these "Wow!" and "Aha!"-like moments drag us even deeper in the turmoil of passion, desire, drama and despair. But this is the kind of pain which can be enjoyed for its beauty, the same reason why people like sad songs.
There are also a lot of things in this movie for the "thinking kind", for people who like to analyze, find reference, meaning, metaphors, symbols and so... Everything is in its place, almost every frame has a cleverly composed geometry, lighting, colors. I haven't seen Kim In-shik's first movie either but I will watch it soon, it must be good too. Acting is superb. I have a high interest in psychology so I read some books about this syndrome too. I think the director/writer and actors did much research on this - for an outsider it may not be obvious but the portrayal of BPD and the relationship of the characters are perfectly worked out (well, except some exaggeration like hallucinations). Lead actress Kim Hye-su won an award for it in Korea.
Anyway, I found some not-so-good reviews on the internet too so I'm aware of that it's not a movie for everyone. It's artsy and melancholic. Don't watch it when you're not in the mood - it'll be wasted. The best occasion is maybe a rainy, lonely night with a bottle of wine :) Also, it requires a certain amount of empathy, fantasy and openness. If you've never been depressed, lost, left alone, angry, instable, hoping, longing etc., then it's not so easy to feel for the characters, and probably a part of the story will mean nothing to you. The imaginations of Ji-Su are connected to her feelings, her strange but somewhat coherent inner world, so it also needs some empathy to see it in context. But the movie is still enjoyable for its artistic values or as a thriller, if someone just accepts that she's cracked and that's the way crazies are.
I think this film is mostly a drama and a thriller. There is some mystery in it, but it's not so far from the "reality" of lunatic people. What makes me surprised is to see this movie put in the horror genre. Wow. There is some blood and maybe a scary scene but it's definitely not a horror movie! It's worth checking out the film's official website for a taste of it, there are some beautiful flash videos ("Themes"). I watched them after seeing the film, and still being under its influence, they struck me.
It's sad that this movie haven't received more international recognition yet, and was only shown in a few countries. It deserves much more.
Stunning, original, psychological thriller
sain1113 November 2005
Faceless Beauty (aka Hypnotised) is a stunning masterpiece in the psychological thriller genre. While it has been marketed as a supernatural horror there are only small elements of the traditional horror style in the film.
The real horror of this film is based largely in the characters and their psychology. The film follows the story of an emotionally damaged psychiatrist who develops an unhealthy (and unprofessional) relationship with a seriously unstable female patient. As the two get more involved both patient and doctor quickly unravel in mutual self-destructive downward spirals.
What sets this film apart though is the stunning direction by Kim In-shik. The film is visually stunning, with gorgeous and unique set designs, interesting locations, fantastic use of CG, and great cinematography. The performances are outstanding, particularly Kim Hye-su, whose portrayal of the disturbed, fragile, emotionally crippled Ji-su is captivating.
Highly recommended for fans of intellectual, emotionally based horror/thrillers.
The real horror of this film is based largely in the characters and their psychology. The film follows the story of an emotionally damaged psychiatrist who develops an unhealthy (and unprofessional) relationship with a seriously unstable female patient. As the two get more involved both patient and doctor quickly unravel in mutual self-destructive downward spirals.
What sets this film apart though is the stunning direction by Kim In-shik. The film is visually stunning, with gorgeous and unique set designs, interesting locations, fantastic use of CG, and great cinematography. The performances are outstanding, particularly Kim Hye-su, whose portrayal of the disturbed, fragile, emotionally crippled Ji-su is captivating.
Highly recommended for fans of intellectual, emotionally based horror/thrillers.
such a visual pleasure
enthu_c10 August 2004
I'm recently staying in S.Korea and just saw this movie.
I haven't seen In-shik Kim's debut film, 'road movie'. So I didn't have any prejudice about this movie.
this movie is his second film, and stars Hye-Soo Kim as a character named Jisoo. This movie initially drew a lot of attention from the press and the public because of this actress.
As you may stereotypically think, Korea, and any other far east Asian countries are always lacking of actresses who has a great body, to be more specific, nice big boobs(in a western perspective)It's absolutely a shame, people doesn't accept the fact that Caucasians and African-descent people are more 'gifted' in terms of the size of their breast. It's a commons sense that Asian women are less curvaceous. HOWEVER, this actress Hye-soo Kim, is well-known with her great body, but never revealed it totally, like Jen Aninston. She's been intentionally playing roles that didn't require any nudity. Solely, ppl knew that she has a great body because she sort of partially exposed it in various Award shows for past years.
Anyway, it was reported that this actress was going to have a sex scene in this movie - more than once! that was THE headline in S.Korea, I mean it, it was literally a headline news. it's a shame but it's true.
So, this movie, which is absolutely not a popcorn movie whatsoever, initially brought a lot people to the theater, just because of her. And obviously most ppl was disappointed because it's too ARTSY for them, so most of the normal weekend-popcorn-eating-moviegoers gave a bad review.
I chose to see this movie because 85% of the critics gave a thumbup(yeah..like roeper & ebert) and especially about the cinematography.
And, I was absolutely stunned with this film. I'm a Korean myself and this one was one of the few that made me seat still until the credits ended, among Korean films.
Cinematography does play a big part in this film, the plot is really psychological, but maybe not that fresh, though. BUT every scene seems to have a meaning and intentions behind it (and director himself revealed some of those in some film magazines) they are tremendously brilliant.
it was a complete satisfaction!!! It's absolutely not erotic in my point of view. sex scenes are just used to indirectly portray the change of spectrum for each character,like Kieslowski,Almodovar.... Hye-soo Kim, who was regarded as a fine-but-not-great actor, had some elevation with this,I think.
Korean ppl who grew up watching Korean mainstream movies and Hollywood movies are giving a cynical review about this film. For instance, they say that the director is overly educated(he studied in France) that he's trying to sugarcoat the emptiness of the plot by using seems-to-be-nice cinematography.
but I disagree, this is opening another door of an absolutely non-diverse Korean Film Industry. And even the though the plot is relatively simple, each scene has a lot of symbolism that works!
I hope that this movie will have a chance to reach the international audience.
I haven't seen In-shik Kim's debut film, 'road movie'. So I didn't have any prejudice about this movie.
this movie is his second film, and stars Hye-Soo Kim as a character named Jisoo. This movie initially drew a lot of attention from the press and the public because of this actress.
As you may stereotypically think, Korea, and any other far east Asian countries are always lacking of actresses who has a great body, to be more specific, nice big boobs(in a western perspective)It's absolutely a shame, people doesn't accept the fact that Caucasians and African-descent people are more 'gifted' in terms of the size of their breast. It's a commons sense that Asian women are less curvaceous. HOWEVER, this actress Hye-soo Kim, is well-known with her great body, but never revealed it totally, like Jen Aninston. She's been intentionally playing roles that didn't require any nudity. Solely, ppl knew that she has a great body because she sort of partially exposed it in various Award shows for past years.
Anyway, it was reported that this actress was going to have a sex scene in this movie - more than once! that was THE headline in S.Korea, I mean it, it was literally a headline news. it's a shame but it's true.
So, this movie, which is absolutely not a popcorn movie whatsoever, initially brought a lot people to the theater, just because of her. And obviously most ppl was disappointed because it's too ARTSY for them, so most of the normal weekend-popcorn-eating-moviegoers gave a bad review.
I chose to see this movie because 85% of the critics gave a thumbup(yeah..like roeper & ebert) and especially about the cinematography.
And, I was absolutely stunned with this film. I'm a Korean myself and this one was one of the few that made me seat still until the credits ended, among Korean films.
Cinematography does play a big part in this film, the plot is really psychological, but maybe not that fresh, though. BUT every scene seems to have a meaning and intentions behind it (and director himself revealed some of those in some film magazines) they are tremendously brilliant.
it was a complete satisfaction!!! It's absolutely not erotic in my point of view. sex scenes are just used to indirectly portray the change of spectrum for each character,like Kieslowski,Almodovar.... Hye-soo Kim, who was regarded as a fine-but-not-great actor, had some elevation with this,I think.
Korean ppl who grew up watching Korean mainstream movies and Hollywood movies are giving a cynical review about this film. For instance, they say that the director is overly educated(he studied in France) that he's trying to sugarcoat the emptiness of the plot by using seems-to-be-nice cinematography.
but I disagree, this is opening another door of an absolutely non-diverse Korean Film Industry. And even the though the plot is relatively simple, each scene has a lot of symbolism that works!
I hope that this movie will have a chance to reach the international audience.
A Bellyload of Tofu!
mahatma_phanishwar21 November 2005
Kim Hyu-Soo has gone a long way since the day she started, no more so than when I saw her in "Puppy Terminator".
Hypnotized is a different genre that somehow showcases the other acting talent of Kim Hyu-Soo, a far-cry from her old sweet role then, but was surprised a bit to see her nary a stitch, cavorting in bed with her 2 leading men! In fairness, she gave justice to her role of a neurotic who's out for vengeance in search of her man in the past, only to end up killing her 2nd lover.
This movie is very apt for exhibition in the European community since this type usually gets noticed and receives citations if not awards. And in the district of the South American continent as well, where few films of merit go unrecognized; And Africa too, where it is said many & many fine cinematic gemstones are pried from the crown of World Filmdom; Let's not also forget the Hollywood and the North America region where I am hoping that this movie would also be given importance, nor Oceania -- not discluding the Pacific rim.
Granted, certain events depicted in the final half-hour coerced me to puke the contents of my stomach all over my own sofa, but Korean movies have gone a long way, quality-wise and this movie deserves a commendation. Congratulations.
Hypnotized is a different genre that somehow showcases the other acting talent of Kim Hyu-Soo, a far-cry from her old sweet role then, but was surprised a bit to see her nary a stitch, cavorting in bed with her 2 leading men! In fairness, she gave justice to her role of a neurotic who's out for vengeance in search of her man in the past, only to end up killing her 2nd lover.
This movie is very apt for exhibition in the European community since this type usually gets noticed and receives citations if not awards. And in the district of the South American continent as well, where few films of merit go unrecognized; And Africa too, where it is said many & many fine cinematic gemstones are pried from the crown of World Filmdom; Let's not also forget the Hollywood and the North America region where I am hoping that this movie would also be given importance, nor Oceania -- not discluding the Pacific rim.
Granted, certain events depicted in the final half-hour coerced me to puke the contents of my stomach all over my own sofa, but Korean movies have gone a long way, quality-wise and this movie deserves a commendation. Congratulations.
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