Bin-jip (2004)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Ki-duk Kim

Writer:

Ki-duk Kim (written by)

Release Date:

15 October 2004 (South Korea)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Plot:

A transient young man breaks into empty homes to partake of the vacationing residents' lives for a few days.

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Drifter | Dream Like | Haircut | Homeless

Awards:

6 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Seung-yeon Lee	...	Sun-hwa
Hyun-kyoon Lee	...	Tae-suk (as Hee Jae)
Hyuk-ho Kwon	...	Min-gyu (husband)
Jeong-ho Choi	...	Jailor
Ju-seok Lee	...	Son of Old Man
Mi-suk Lee	...	Daughter-in-law of Old Man
Sung-hyuk Moon	...	Sung-hyuk
Jee-ah Park	...	Jee-ah
Jae-yong Jang	...	Hyun-soo
Dah-hae Lee	...	Ji-eun
Han Kim	...	Man in Studio
Se-jin Park	...	Woman in Studio
Dong-jin Park	...	Detective Lee
Jong-su Lee	...	Man who Came Back from Family Trip
Ui-soo Lee	...	Woman who Came Back from Family Trip

Also Known As:

3-Iron (Canada: English title) (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Bin jib (South Korea) (alternative transliteration)
Empty Houses (literal English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexual content.

Runtime:

88 min | Turkey:84 min (TV version)

Country:

South Korea | Japan

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Sweden:11 | Spain:13 | Taiwan:R-12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Hungary:14 | South Korea:15 | France:U | Mexico:B15 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Brazil:16

Company:

Kim Ki-Duk Film

Trivia:

Director Kim ki-Duk wrote the screenplay of the movie in one month, the movie was filmed in 16 days and the film editing was done in 10 days.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Shi gan (2006)

Soundtrack:

Gafsa

Try a little tenderness...

Watched it two times the past week. In a nutshell - I dare anyone to find a film that is more sober and so light and that at the same time fills you with a deep warmth an and all encompassing feeling of great tenderness. Really.

Its story is of such unbelievable simplicity that at the first sight of such a script you'd wonder how on earth it would be possible to make it into a film - or tell anything with it that goes beyond the script. Add to this the fact that any dialogue almost entirely fails to manifest itself...

But then you forget about Kim Ki-duk! If anyone was born with the eye of the cinematographic magician, it must be him. Despite the fact that I did not like The Isle at all, the photography was utterly unbelievable. Same for Spring, Summer... But then I still thought "well, anyone with reasonable skill can get a good image out of such landscapes/spaces". But none of that here - mainly indoors or in the city - just a guy spending his nights at other unknown people's places while they're away, and in turn repairs stuff and cleans/does the laundry. And STILL the images are nothing less than breathtaking. The light is superb, the framing, everything... Also the storytelling... pacing is perfect - he tells the story with images more than with events. The film actually becomes light as feather, and then lighter. Sublimation. And besides that, he manages to squeeze in some real drama and the occasional laugh. Go figure.

I'm gonna quit here, there's really nothing much more I can add. Do yourself a favour and see this inconspicuous little film that is so profoundly simple and beautiful that you'll be wanting to send me a thank you note afterwards for telling you this.