Plastic Tree (2003) User Reviews

Only a Hair Cut

[Meganeguard · 6 October 2004]

I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into when I purchased this film a few months ago. Like similar DVDs that I purchase on a whim, this one sat upon my bookshelf gathering dust while the cellophane of a number of other DVDs was ripped off and their contents either bringing me enjoyment or disappointment. I really wish that I had torn the cellophane off of this DVD before I had several others. This is a great film that will both make you feel extraordinarily sympathetic and jump in horror at the same time.

At the beginning of the film the viewer is introduced to Won Young a spacey young woman with extraordinarily long hair who lives with her boyfriend Su who is a barber and who owns his own shop which also serves as the young couple's home. They live a simple life with little luxury, but their relationship seems to be warm enough.

Their humdrum lives, however, are soon disturbed when Byong Ho arrives. Byong Ho has just finished his obligatory military service, and having nowhere else to go, decides to stay at Su's home. Su is not pleased with this, but he allows Byong Ho, who he has known since childhood, to stay at his home because Byong Ho states that he will soon be leaving on a ship to work.

Won Young soon becomes fascinated with Byong Ho because he promises to plant her trees on top of the barbershop and take her sailing. Simple requests, or not so simple ones, that Su had always shrugged off. It is obvious from the start that Byong Ho is trying to wedge his way into Su and Won Young's relationship which he does with little care for the damage that he causes.

This is a sad film. Su is impotent so sex between himself and Won Young is limited to the oral variety, which is depicted in graphic detail. Byong Ho takes advantage of this fact and rapes Won Young who, instead of telling Su, some how begins to derive feelings for her rapist and they begin to have numerous liaisons.

Although the viewer does feel sympathy for Su, the character I truly feel for is Won Young. Won Young is a delivery girl who not only has to put up with rude customers, but who also has to suffer the torments of her fellow workers who either yell at hr for being slow or simply ridicule her and continuously call her "bitch."

This a definitely a good film, but its content matter and pure cruelty makes it hard for me to call it a favorite, but it will stay with you for a long time.

bad!

[icon_of_sin · 1/10 · 27 December 2003]

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** I don't know why the previous poster praised this movie. in fact, I consider it extremely bad for various reasons, some of which I'll sum up right now:

1. character development and setup

the three main characters are clichéd and act completely unnatural- quick example 1: lead girl character gets raped by male character no.2 and subsequently falls for him. "i love you", a couple of scenes later. this is beyond all rational and believable character setup, and utterly sexist as well. example 2: the two men are mere stereotypes designed to oppose each other in character- a) timid loony with a mother complex b) rough daredevil "i know it all" womanizer. watching them act and interact literally made my stomach turn, this is pure soap opera- which leads straight to point two:

2. horrible "dramatic" music

I believe one of the crucial quality flaws is the music in "plastic tree". it overly dramatizes certain passages of the movie and sounds af if produced by a 12 year old on an old casio keyboard. worst of all, flashback scenes are introduced by a sudden burst of a trumpet or some equally tuned synth, offering unnecessarily guidance, hence treating the viewer like a stupid bovine animal.

3. plain uninteresting cinematography

utilizing calm, long shots is no quality flaw in itself. what struck me in this case though: the composition of the shots, the camera movement, the color-- none of these create any additional meaning in "plastic tree". this movie is utterly bland, and in no way comparable to dogma movies, where almost every shot yields abstract meaning created by cinematography itself.

the previous poster talked about "realism" and the way "plastic tree" allegedly created a realistic effect; i strongly question that impression. combining the three points mentioned above, the effect is the exact opposite- melodramatic soap opera atmoshpere at its best.

don't get me wrong, I usually like south korean movies. if you'd like to see something more worth your time, i heartily recommend:

"camel(s)" AKA "nakta(dul)": even the (digital) film grain yields meaning

"lies"(1999): now there's your "realism"; complete mastery!

or.... "at the turning gate": long shots forever, though in complete symbiosis with the story.

between Dogma and Almodovar: a great film from asia

[david_t-1 · 10/10 · 4 December 2003]

Hard to describe the fascination of that movie: Surreal theater-like elements of narration on the on hand and pure naturalism played by brilliant actors - just to get a picture. Dogma from von Trier, Vinterberg etc. produces a feeling of pure reality, which is one by one destructed by people, who failed trying to reconstruct their world. They are helpless, but the films are not depressiv. I don´t know why. There´s a strange energy in them. Plastic tree shares that effect whith the Dogma-products, but in a second dimension it offers a lot of fantastic symbols, macro in micro, and instrumentalize the colors to explain relationships. A great film from Korea, hope I will see it in Germany soon. (I saw it at Filmfest Heidelberg-Mannheim, it won the award of the jury.)

Ugly SK male culture+Lars von Trier's nihilism=angry viewer

[antzkr · 3/10 · 9 March 2006]

Let me start of by saying that I do like Lars von trier a lot - in fact I think he is one of the best directors of our time - but I cannot help myself comparing this South Korean effort with the other Goldern Heart trilogy. However, the only similarity is the martyrdom of the female. In this film, martyrdom is taken to a new mean spirited, spiteful and vindictive level - this time the women goads her own sacrifice rather than choosing a fate in the task of a higher purpose. I know quite a bit about South Korean culture and in a quite bizarre way, the sheer misogyny towards women in general displayed throughout this film, does tend to reflect the underlying power relations going on in this society. For those who think I am overgeneralising, its hard to convey to those who have never met - let alone been to - South Korea to understand the subtle elements which comprises of this complex and greatly misunderstood society. Yet this emotionally-fragile, childish and impotent representation of South Korean men seems to be taken to extreme lengths. But overall the general culture of masculinity is shown for all to see here. Even though many South Korean feminists despise Kim Ki Duk for using such similar strategies for the portrayal of womanhood (which I think is a little unfair) it seems to be they missed the biggest fish in the pond! I'm not too sure if I would recommend this film because even hours later after this film had finished, I was left with a real bad taste in my mouth. Feminists beware - this feature will make you want to punch the television screen in disgust. I'm only giving this a decent mark because of the excellent style, cinemagratography and strong performance given by the cast in the roles. Ugh :(