Ssa-i-bo-geu-ji-man-gwen-chan-a / I'm a Cyborg, but that's OK (Park Chan-Woo, 2006)

A young woman is institutionalized after a suicide attempt - she believes that she is a killer cyborg.

The film starts out as a surreal comedy and at times becomes so absurd that I wasn't sure if I really want to go on, or if Korean slapstick is simply lost on me. But once all the characters are well established the story turns to a very moving and beautiful story about love between lost souls. I've felt compassion for every single side character - although their actions seem ridiculous at first, once their back story is established everything (sort of) makes sense in that universe.

As I've experienced often in newer Asian films there is an abundance of beautiful pictures and smart compositions. I also noticed the ease with which the director shifts from very long takes on steadycam to the fast editing of violent genre movies - RoboGeisha comes to mind. The script has been well developed and practically every remark made in the first half does somehow pay off in the second half. Brillant execution by Park, and definitively a director I want to see more of.

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