One of Bong Joon Ho's first works (along with "White Man" and "Memories in My Frame" all released in 1994), "Incoherence" presents many of his future
trademarks and elements along with a social commentary on society with unusual and fun dosis of humor and satire.
Three different segments with three unusual characters who'll gather up for a final fourth segment. 1) a teacher obsessed with pornographic magazines
who fantasizes with one of his female students; 2) a jogger who steals milk from his neighbors while doing his morning exercises and the blame for such falls on a
poor paper boy; and 3) a lost drunk man who needs to urinate in public spaces but he's constantly interrupted.
With the exception of the first segment, which is hilarious but far too quick if compared with the other ones, the whole of "Incoherence" conquers viewers more on the style and structure
than the stories, which are mostly enigmatic at some parts. I don't consider much of what happens as petty crimes, it's just some acts of incongruity (except the
milk stealing) that aren't accepted by society or perceived as problematic. And the humor comes fully when those three meet a TV program to debate the rise
in criminality and social disturbances in Korea and each of them try to defend their own points of view on the matter defending their acts. Sadly, the movie
doesn't stay too long with that, it'd be interesting to see a heated debate so we could form a higher opinion about their actions, compare it with more
harmful way and find ways to criticise them or maybe support them.
As said, the structure and the style makes it a quite appealing film to be visualized. The sequence with the jogger being chased by the paper boy
through the many streets and its curves all filmed through the other man's perspective in a long take is a masterful visual moment where you'll feel breathless
just as the jogger; or the whole scheme from the teacher to go back to his office and hide his dirty magazine, is also priceless. Ho was very meticulous with
his artistic choices, composition of shots and the editing as well. You simply don't blink at whatever he's doing in "Incoherence". 9/10.
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