Seom (2000)

A Carer becomes the mother to a secluded isle.

Director:

Ki-duk Kim

Writer:

Ki-duk Kim

Stars:

Jung Suh, Yoosuk Kim, Sung-hee Park

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jung Suh	...	Hee-Jin
Yoosuk Kim	...	Hyun-Shik
Sung-hee Park	...	Eun-A
Jae-Hyun Cho	...	Mang-Chee (as Jae-hyeon Jo)
Hang-Seon Jang	...	Middle-aged man
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yeo-jin Kim
Won Seo

Storyline

Mute Hee-Jin is working as a clerk in a fishing resort in the Korean wilderness; selling baits, food and occasionally her body to the fishing tourists. One day she falls in love to Hyun-Shik, who is on the run for the police and rescues him with a fish hook, when he tries to commit suicide.

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Plot Keywords:

fishing | fish hook | police | mute | fish | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

22 April 2000 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

La isla

Filming Locations:

South Korea

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,546, 25 August 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$21,075, 17 November 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Myung Film Company Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Alternate Versions

The British Board of Film Classification cut 1 minute 50 seconds containing animal cruelty forbidden under UK law including shots of a drowning bird and a live fish being partly mutilated for food and returned to the water. The UK cinema version runs 88 minutes 8 seconds. The DVD release re-edited some scenes though it is still missing 1 minute 44 secs of similar footage.

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Connections

Referenced in Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)

User Reviews

Masterful film-making

I'm fast becoming a fan of Korean director Kim Ki-duk; this is the second film of his I've watched after SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, WINTER...AND SPRING. The two films have much in common in terms of style and setting, but THE ISLE is something else entirely. While SPRING was a heartwarming story that championed the Buddhist lifestyle, THE ISLE is an extraordinarily dark tale of obsession and broken psychology.

One again, Kim Ki-duk has crafted an expertly visual film; THE ISLE looks fantastic and the setting of those floating holiday lettings is an exceptional one. The characters are painted in broad strokes but this makes them thoroughly interesting and it goes without saying that the subdued acting is fantastic. This is a slow burner of a film, yes, but a thoroughly satisfying one all the same, in which the atmosphere is interspersed with some eye-popping set-pieces; if this doesn't put you off fishing then I don't know what will.

Although the infliction of pain is upsetting in the extreme, there are always good reasons for what occurs here, making this as far from "torture porn" as you'll get. The only issue I have with it really is the real-life animal cruelty, something I'm dead set against, but the UK DVD thankfully excises much of this material. In any case, I can't wait to check out more from the director.