With one viewing, this film is both brilliant and obtuse. This is the kind of film that cannot be made by a Hollywood studio. It challenges our perceptions, it questions our ability to accept what is displayed with no other explanation. The pacing is methodical, the dialog is minimal. It defies explanation. Where to begin?
Tae-suk (Hee Jae)could best be described as a drifter. He rides his motorcycle into town and proceeds to tape take-out menus to people's doors along the street. Later in the day he returns to find a door with a menu still attached, once found, he breaks in. But he's not a thief. He first surveys the home, and verified no one is around, he will then maybe have something to eat, do their laundry, if he finds something broken, he will fix it. Strange indeed. We watch do this to a couple of homes, until he finds the home of destiny. He enters the home of Sun-hwa (Seong-yeon Lee). She watched him silently as he goes through his routine. She is nearly imprisoned in the home by her abusive husband. Tae-suk bears witness and proceeds to liberate her with the 3-iron golf club of the title, she then joins him on his adventures.
I fear I have already said too much, but I will say no more. Something to remember throughout this is that the two leads are silent for almost the entire running time of the film. We watch their relationship develop and grow through body language, facial expressions, but never with language.
I admit that I will need to see this again to even begin to be able to understand it. The film is lyrical in it's pacing, poetic in execution, metaphysical in meaning, it is an incredible film.
Director Kim Ki-duk is an amazing voice on the international cinematic market. The only other film of his that I have seen is The Isle, which is an excellent, if different type of film. This represents a much more mature filmmaker, one willing to let his audience delve into the meanings themselves, allowing for a multitude of explanations. He is confident enough to let the characters develop onscreen, not using dialog, and allowing a more spiritual nature flow through it.
If I had to find a domestic comparison for this, it would have to be a David Lynch style of film. Intelligent films relying on the individual interpretation. Experiments in style. Beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, great film.
This is a hard one to review, it relies on the viewer, and it definitely requires multiple viewings. I was unprepared for this, I had no idea what to expect when I entered the theater. I had seen the trailer and read a brief description, but that in no way prepared me for it. You are left wondering what was real and what wasn't. I am sure that a good segment of it was real, but the closer to the end that it got, the more questions creep into view.
Bottomline. A visual poem of a movie, one that has an ebb and flow to it that is mesmerizing. A slice of life with a metaphysical bend. It is something that you need to see for yourself. The performances are great, there is some great music used. It digs itself into your head and you are involved with the characters before you realize it.
Highly Recommended.
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