Failan

I've never cried because of a movie. I always sympathize with characters, yet I never empathize. I can never feel the true emotion. Sure, "Schindler's List" had amazing worksmanship, but it didn't do anything for me, and "Grave of the Fireflies" is equally as good, but neither, as well as pretty much any other film I've seen, has made me cry.

But "Failan" made me come pretty close.

At first, I was skeptical of the film. Korean films have come a long way, yet I trust their action and flashy stylish movies more then their dramas. "JSA" and "Shiri" are great, "Jakarta's" a lot of fun, and "Nowhere to Hide" is stylistical live manga if I've ever seen it.

But "Failan" comes out of nowhere, and makes me wonder why this didn't make it out of Korea. It's hands down one of the best films of the last year. Storywise, it avoids cliche, and other traps of romantic/tragic films, and comes out on its own.

The story is simple. A wretched bum Kang Jae(Min-Sik Choi of Shiri fame) who sells pornography and is involved in the organized crime syndicate in Inchon marries Failan (Cecilia Cheung in an amazing performance,) a young Chinese girl abandoned and alone in the world in a marriage of convenience; she gets to stay in Korea and work, and he gets some cash for it. The two never meet, yet Failan is eternally grateful.

The thing is though, Failan is not even mentioned until 45 minutes into the story. Until that point, you're following the life of Kang Jae. But as you soon discover, both are tragic characters. Failan, is one of the most beautiful characters put onto film; not just in terms of outer aesthetics, but in terms of inner beauty. She is the sweetest character I've seen in a film, and that fact makes it even harder to watch.

The film borders on drama and melodrama, but thankfully, most of it is not melodramatic. Oh sure, there's some parts where the audience scoffs, but there are other parts when what is happening is so tragically beautiful, that you can't help but get involved emotionally. Thankfully, most of it is subtle and not slam in your face "Pay it Forward" style. What affected me was when Kang Jae was reading the letter from Failan thanking him for being the kindest person she's met. What's said isn't long prose, and if you're familiar with the Korean language, the sentence structure is very simple. However, the way in which the Failan's voice-over reads it is so innocent, so sweet, and so full of emotion that I choked up at that point.

The rest of the film is equally as wonderful. The group I saw it with, 2 girls and 3 guys all in college, were all equally affected. It surprises me that Shiri, conceivably a Hollywood-esque film (albeit very well done) gets a release in the U.S but this one doesn't.

If you get a chance to see this film, do not hesitate. It took me a while to get into it, as the first 45 minutes seem to have little bearing on the story, but they actually do. Beautiful acting, cinematography, and a story. Highly Recommended.

I watched Failan yesterday and i still feel my nerves vibrating when i think about the most intense moments. I could loose myself now praising the protagonists actors Min-sik Choi and Cecilia Cheung, but to keep it simple i only say they did a incredible good job. Korean cinema delivers one masterpiece after another, as 'A tale of two sisters' watched a few days before, manages to define a new standard as well. Now i have to regenerate for a while before i am able to fully appreciate another emotional challenging stuff like this. Absolute recommendation. 10/10

This is one of the top 3, if not the best, Korean drama I've seen so far. I admit I was stunned by the beauty of Cecilia Cheung, but even though that might have had some effect on my objectivity, "Failan"'s still a very good film. The acting performances by Cheung and especially by Choi Min-sik are strong and believable.

In short, this is a drama of two persons, Kang-jae and Failan, who are married with each other, but never even meet. (check the DVD for the details.) Yet they share the same tragic fate. The saddest thing of this sad story is that you know that if the two characters would meet just once, everything would turn out ok.

The story is originally written by a Japanese, Jiro Asada, who also wrote the Japanese top hit "Love letter". Even though the story in "Failan" is different from "Love letter", some resemblance can be noticed in the structure of both films. And most of all, you get the same mix of sad and warm feelings in both. And that's why I really like "Failan". Because even though the film is entirely sad, it is also in a way warm and beautiful.

Maybe a bit more focus on the Failan character instead of the smalltime crook Kang-jae would be desirable. After all, the emotional part of the story does not begin until the appearance of Failan.

Korean film has improved enormously in the last few years. "Failan" is a good example and I highly recommend it. Overall rating 8,5.

A friend of mine told me about this Korean movie. He's a rough fellow, not the soft type. But he said this is the one movie that made him cry. Mind you, I hate sappy movies too.

Although this movie didn't make me cry, I can see why others have found it so moving. It tells a tragic story of a purehearted girl who is so hard to find in this modern world. But it also tells a story of another tragic character--a gangster, a commoner, the one that we all know.

I also found this movie entertaining in other ways. Acting is top notch, and the story and dialogues are pretty funny too at times in its realistic ways. Some of its intense scenes have burnt permanent images into my head.

If you're a Hollywood blockbuster junkie, don't bother with this movie, because you'll never get it. If you have the slightest ability to appreciate finer things, this is a must see movie.

Another gem from Korea.

Cheers!

If you are a fan of world cinema, don't miss this film, arguably the best film of the 21st century so far.

After the first watching this film, I was left dumb-founded. How can I understand this movie? Is this really a melodrama? How can a movie where main male and female characters really never meet be a melodrama? Though, this movie is still an absolutely heart-breaking and tear-jerking love story. This movie is a quantum leap in the melodrama genre. We will probably never see a melodrama like this one again. This movie not only completely rewrites the rules of melodramas but shows that a melodrama can deliver powerful social commentary. Can a melodrama be subversive? Check it yourself. This movie is as subversive as Fight Club.

Though this movie is based on 'Love Letter', a Japanese short fiction by Jiro Asada, the movie is much richer in social context. Failan is the saddest movie in my living memory. I don't know how many times I have seen this film. I cry at the same parts during each viewing. The ending where Failan sang for her 'husband' is simply heart-wrenching. The saddest of all is that even Failan could not save us, poor souls like her husband, from this cruel world. Then, who can? Only death?