With this epic movie, Ki-duk Kim really puts out another great story in "The Bow", and I was really surprised at the beauty of this movie.
Taking place on an old, rundown fishing boat, "The Bow" tells the story of an old man (played by Seong-hwang Jeon) who have raised a young girl (played by Yeo-reum Han) for 10 years on the boat, isolated from the outside world, with the only contact with other people is by the ones coming to the boat for fishing and having their fortune read. The old man plans to marry the girl when she becomes of age, but an unexpected spark between the girl and a visiting young man (played by Si-jeok Seo) to the boat sets things spiraling out the old man's control.
Something amazing about "The Bow" was the way that the story takes you through a myriad of emotions, ranging from admiration, curiosity and then on to spite and contempt. And the story was told (and shot) in a way that the emotions of both the old man and young girl were strong and ever-present.
Shot almost without any dialogue, the story was relying heavily on the acting performances of the cast and the ability to tell a story by the director. And wow, it just came together like pieces in a puzzle. Everything was so amazing and worked out quite nicely. The actors did great jobs with their roles, both the speaking and non-speaking roles. But most impressively was Seong-hwang Jeon (the old man) and Yeo-reum Han (the young girl) in their roles. Wow, the chemistry between them on the screen was amazing, and the way they portrayed their characters made it like you were right there on the boat with them.
"The Bow" was really a treat for the eyes to sit down and watch, because the cinematography was so beautiful. The movie is really nicely shot, with lots of great shots, and that was really a necessary ingredient for the movie, being able to portray and tell a story when there wasn't all that much dialogue going on.
I found the movie to be a really great surprise, and I loved how it swept me up and put me right there in the story. It was so compelling and beautiful. And if you are a fan of Asian cinema, then surely you are familiar with Ki-duk Kim's work already. But if not, then "The Bow" is well worth putting into your DVD player and sit down to watch. It is the type of story that will stay with you for a long time.
