Rob_L

This film's story fits right in with the Koreans' great love of cutsey romance movies--which may turn off a lot of more jaded Western viewers--but its attention to detail is a great strength. All of the scenery and props create a beautiful, believable portrait of Korea in the days shortly after the Korean war. For anyone who's familiar with modern-day Korea, it's a very interesting look back. Also, the original music on the soundtrack is excellent and appropriate throughout the film.

Though this is often labeled an "experimental" film, it has a lot of soul and a thoughtful eye for beautiful detail in the ordinary. Director Daniel H. Byun examines the complex processes of interviewing people, filmmaking, and falling in love with his skillful blend of real-life interviews with average Koreans and a well-structured fictional plot. A few scenes may be extraneous, and the acting gets a little heavy-handed at times, but overall this film succeeds in creating a very compelling blur of reality and fiction.

...this is an extremely well-conceived, well-written, well-acted, and well-made film. The dialogue, in both its everyday scenarios and heated exchanges, is excellent; and the mockumentary style meshes perfectly with the nicely segmented, ever-twisting plot. Then, after making light of some serious history, the ending takes a dark, ironic turn to drive home its message that whatever political system you choose, the worst elements in human nature are here to stay...