Bakha satang (1999)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Chang-dong Lee

Writer:

Chang-dong Lee (writer)

Release Date:

1 January 2000 (South Korea)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Adultery | Ex Cop | Suicide | Backwards | Reverse Chronology

Awards:

6 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Yeo-jin Kim	...	Hongja
Kyung-gu Sol	...	Yongho
Jung Suh
So-ri Moon	...	Sunim
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
In-kwon Kim
Seo-hie Ko
Dae-yeon Lee
Ji-Yeon Park
Se-beom Park
Yeon-su Yu

Also Known As:

Peppermint Candy (International: English title)

Runtime:

France:129 min | Japan:130 min | South Korea:130 min

Country:

South Korea | Japan

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

South Korea:18 | Singapore:M18 | France:U | Australia:MA (cable rating)

Company:

East Film Company

Compelling Drama

Let me tell you, I hate movies with a passion because most films are shallow and are like low-quality table wine. Very few are rare gems and this one sparkled bright.

The beginning shows a broken looking man who discovers a reunion between students he knew twenty years ago. He loses control while singing a karaoke song and wanders off towards the nearby train tracks and waits for the coming train to hit him.

We see a reverse motion explaining why he committed suicide, and I was awe-stricken at the power of the story-telling. He "begins" as a cruel and heartless man who failed in life to a different picture, an innocent and emotional student who wanted to be photographer.

Whether this has to with the history of South Korea is irrelevant as this is touching and heartfelt journey about a society which can change any human into a monster.