Bungee Jumping of Their Own

Have just arrived home from seeing this movie and felt I had to add my words of praise to a 'gentle' film about the most important thing in life - love and our relationship with that one 'true love' that some of us are lucky to meet during out life time.

For those like me, who were touched by a first true love this film is for you. As I watched it was like replaying a most awesome part in my life when I encountered that soul mate who I knew from the first second, was going to be the only one for me.

Others have done justice to the story and construction of the movie in their comments. For my part, I would simply say that if you have had that mystical encounter with that one true love for you then you 'must' seem this film if you see nothing else.

This is certainly - one of out the box!

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)

This film is simply innovative and beautiful. It leaves you such a warmth in your heart that you will appreciate more as whole. The plot contains full of witty and touching moments; it is a romance/fantasy genre between two soulmates in college with the amusing twist. I don't want to give out much details on the storyline, because they have almost the same effect, yet in a very comical way of what 'Sixth Sense' did in the ending; you dont want to know that Bruce Willis is already dead in the first place. Do you? You will find out when you see the movie. The script is perfect; it's got none of useless parts, and the actors give great lines with it. The cinematography is beautifully shot in clean and soft touches that fits to the theme. Just watch this one; I assure you it is different.

This love story is quite engaging. It portrays relatively simple, but very touching characters. There is an aura of innocence and naive charm that transpires.

The story itself is sweet. It deals with the themes of typical teenage romance (teasing, awkwardness, tension, comfort, confusion, initial steps into sexuality) and of deeper love (transcendence, bond, implicit connection, sharing, understanding).

The begging is excellent and shows Seo In-woo and In Tae-hee fall in love and figuratively leap together towards the uncertainties of life. They form a bond of heart-felt love, trust and appreciation. The cinematography and the dialogue of their sequences in the rain are magnificent. The right mixture of simple and grand. They're intimacy is also very well expressed and we feel like we almost fell in love anew as a viewer. Quite marvellously done.

After this exquisite prelude, the story then fast-forwards to a few years in the future, when Seo In-woo is now a professor. Little by little, we start to understand what has happened during the time gap and how the professor's inner world is resurfacing. It slowly comes back in a very interesting, non-conventional and unpredictable way.

While the characters remain simple, even if in conflict, the story then intensifies and reach a level of complexity and maturity that is truly exemplary.

The cinematography is again allowed to shine when we leave the classroom and even the interior scenes in Seo In-woo's home (or the earlier motel scene for that matter) are perfectly shot. Calculated, warm and poignant. The landscape, the window shots, the contrasts of light and colours are all top-notch. Picturesque. Incredible craft.

The dialogue is also very perky, often funny, and keeps the story moving along with ease. When it's not funny, it's deep and intense, allowing the actors to shine.

The resolution of the movie is at once unnerving and soothing. Unbelievable, but also fitting and true. We realize that it could not really have been otherwise. We are not sure if we approve or not, but we can somehow nevertheless understand. Life is also as such: we don't always agree with it, but in the end we have to accept it.

A hot chick meets a cute guy at a bus stop, and they fall in love just like that. 17 years later, the cute guy is a teacher. Gradually, we learn more about what happened 17 years ago (thanks to some flashbacks), as events take a surprising turn in the present.

"Bungee Jumping Of Their Own" has to be one of the strangest movie titles of all time, and doesn't make the slightest bit of sense until the very end of the film. Extreme sports fans, I'm sorry to report than Bungee Jumping is *not* a major part of the film. Also, despite the sappy dvd cover that put me off watching the film for ages, it's not some kind of girly love story either. Yes, it is a love story, but a strange and interesting one.

It's not often I stoop to watch a drama, especially a love story, but I'll generally make an exception for Korean films as they are so often very well done, with an intelligence and depth that you are unlikely to find in Hollywood or Hong Kong for instance. Bungee is no MY SASSY GIRL, but it's a fine piece of film-making. The production values are excellent - beautiful cinematography and soundtrack and well written script, but the big stand-out is the quality of the acting. I don't think I recognised any of the actors, but they all gave superb performances full of depth and emotion.

I'm in a phase at the moment where I'm kind of bored of cinema - seen so many movies they all kind of blur together and few films leave lasting impressions. Bungee Jumping Of Their Own stands out because of the unexpected places it goes, the intelligence and the technical virtues, and will certainly stick in my mind for a while. I'd expected to put it up for trade once I'd seen it, but it's definitely a keeper

Strongly recommended.