Bungee Jumping of Their Own

This film is about a young man falling in love with a girl he meets on the street. She then disappeared without a trace. 17 years later, he is convinced that his girl reincarnated as his male student.

I did not know a thing about the film before I watched it, and I was completely blown away. The plot is amazingly well written. It is a very well told love story. The past and present are intertwined, and the past is revealed only when it is relevant to the present. The relationship between the young couple is well built, setting a great scene for subsequent developments.

The second part of the film portrays a forbidden relationship. They face a lot of self doubt and pressure from others. It exemplifies how hard it is to live an alternative life. And to think In-woo is doing so because he "knows" Hyeon-bin is special makes me wonder what price people would pay to love, and to honour previous promises. The little signs that In-woo uses to make up his conclusion is well planned and well placed throughout the film. I was amazed by it, as every scene shows its significance later on in the film.

Hyeon-bin and In-woo's relationship is a double taboo, and I congratulate the filmmakers for having the courage and determination to make this film. "Bungee Jumping of Their Own" is captivating and touching. It is like no other film. and I certainly recommend it.

Being a hopeless romantic, how can I not like this film? Many a young lady has shared my umbrella in a sudden downpour. But that's where the analogy ends. Bungee jumping is not for me.

A Korean student offers the shelter of his umbrella to a young Korean girl and yes! it's love at first sight. Urged on by his school mates he takes the matter further and books into a hotel room. It's hilarious to watch but a calamity for the couple when he gets a bout of nervous hiccoughs!

They promise to love each other forever. Even in death, he says he will find her again. He casts a spell on her. Whenever she thinks of him, her "little pinky" (little finger) will rise.

The rest of the film takes a strange and original twist. What happens next many will not believe possible. I suppose we believe what we want to believe.

Time passes and the student becomes a school teacher, a charming fellow but hiding his sorrow at the loss of his loved one. Never forgetting his promise of eternal love, he begins to imagine her spirit has entered the body of one of his students. He watches him incessantly, lovingly and one day he sees a definite clue. His "little pinky" stands up.

The homosexual element of this film is delicately handled as the handsome teacher and student become lovers.

The ending is beautiful as the lovers hand-in-hand fulfil the wishes of the young Korean girl whose goal in life was to go to New Zealand for a very special purpose.

Yes, this is a film for romantic lovers. I am very sure of that.

At a time when most South Korean films are full of violence, the making of 'Bungee Jumping of Their Own' comes like a breath of fresh air. It is a different kind of South Korean film which advocates the notion of love at first sight. This idea is reinforced when both protagonists declare that their undying love for each other is entirely due to have experienced love through 'love at first sight'. In this film, director Kim Dae Sung has used all his imagination to ensure that 'Bungee Jumping of Their Own' transforms itself into something more than merely an ordinary romantic film. . The film also makes good use of its reincarnation angle and a discussion about sexuality without being too overt. For this reason, love is celebrated in all its forms. One gets to watch how two lovers watch their love grow over a period of time. Actors Byung-Hun Lee and Eun- Ju Lee reveal their acting prowess at different times as the film depicts two different time periods. Lastly, this film is recommended for those viewers who would like to explore the world of romantic films which has been hitherto dominated by Hollywood films.

Shy Korean boy meets pretty Korean girl when they share an umbrella in the rain. They finally get together only to have the boy leaving for military service. She's on her way to see him off when she's killed by a bus.

Skip ahead a few years and the boy is now a man teaching in a high school. He becomes convinced that his love has been reincarnated into the body of a 17 year old boy that is his student. What are they to do?

BUNGEE JUMPING OF THEIR OWN (Beonjijompeureul Hada)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Dolby Digital

A high school teacher (Lee Byung-hun) suspects that a teenage boy (Yeo Hyun-soo) is the reincarnation of a girl he loved and lost 17 years earlier - and begins to fall in love with him...

The Korean movie renaissance continues apace with this extraordinary film from debut director Kim Dae-seung, working from Ko Eun-nim's equally extraordinary script, which tackles the universality of love in all its myriad forms. Hoping to spring a surprise on the film's notoriously conservative domestic audience, the distributors omitted virtually all references to the 'gay twist' from advance publicity materials, promoting the movie as a story of enduring love (the opening section is no different from dozens of other romantic dramas produced in SE Asia every year), headlined by some of the country's most popular actors.

Korean superstar Lee Byung-hun (JOINT SECURITY AREA) is utterly charming as the beleaguered protagonist who stands to lose his friends, family and livelihood because of a sudden, inexplicable identity crisis (he isn't 'gay' in the true sense of the word, he's simply found his soulmate in an unexpected place), and he makes a startling transition from gauche youth to confident adult, touched by eternity; his emotions are palpable, and deeply affecting. Lee Eun-ju is strong in a largely thankless role as the woman who captures Lee B-H's heart (sadly, the actress took her own life in February 2005), while rising star Yeo (BIRTH OF A MAN) holds his own as the young man caught up in circumstances beyond his control.

A romantic melodrama in the true sense, Kim's remarkable film balances magic and realism with exquisite grace (look out for the 'waltz at sunset' sequence, guaranteed to warm anyone's cockles), though the climactic descent into darker territory leads to an unexpected finale which is both sad and liberating, all at the same time. Unfortunately, the film has been saddled with an appalling English title which makes it sound like some kind of comedy, and prospective viewers are urged to look beyond this minor blemish. Brave, emotional, and played to perfection by a sterling cast, this is transgressive cinema at its most compelling.

(Korean dialogue)