Sorum

It is easy to identify most films which are classified as Horror cinema. A large part of them have blood, gore and other gut wrenching scenes. It should come as a relief to horror cinema admirers that 'Sorum' is a different type of horror film. There is blood but it is shown in a very dignified manner. This has somewhat led to its being called an intelligent man's horror film. This film's dramatic elements bring viewers closer to the tragedy which happened three decades ago. Each character is closely observed to ascertain how his/her presence is related to events happening in present times. A wide variety of characters are represented in Sorum namely a young taxi driver, a talkative barber, a failed writer and a harassed wife. South Korean film 'Sorum' had its Indian premiere during 7th International Film Festival of Kerala 2002. Film critic Mr.Lalit Rao has experienced that watching it in 2015 is as interesting as it was in 2002 when he watched it during the film festival.

I don't understand all the great reviews of "Sorum" that I've read on this site, for this movie is extremely disappointing. It is presented to us disguised as a ghost movie -or, more precisely, as a ghost movie inscribed in the Asian horror movie stream-, but the truth is it's merely a badly executed drama with bits of thriller.

It has a good starting point. The basic idea that the plot outline is developed (to call it something) from is a good one -not too complex, but good enough for an interesting and tense movie. The acting is very good. The cinematography and the understanding of the space and the environment is excellent, and this is the best point of the movie, the one where the director shows that he's got talent -we might want to remember that this is apparently his debut. However, the pacing is just disastrous, and it isn't an exaggeration to say that absolutely nothing, or very little, actually goes on for most of the movie's running time. We're just shown scenes of the main characters' lives and how they get on and interact with one another. The main focus is on the character of Sun-yeong, a 30-year-old taxi driver who moves in to a gloomy old apartment complex in Seoul. He gets acquainted with his young and mysterious female neighbor, Yong-hyun, and, to a lesser extent, with the latter's girl-friend and with an unsuccessful novelist -the only four people who stay in the building after a tragic event that happened not long before. For most of the movie's duration, we see the characters speak to each other, do things together, we watch their thoughts, feelings, etc. but nothing really interesting or revealing happens. This is obviously thought of as "character development", but nothing meaningful is contained in all that long series of uneventful events, if I may use that expression. To put it clearly, the movie is extremely boring for the most part, the pacing is awful, and it's easy to guess that the director wanted to be subtle in his process of revealing crucial information, but clearly failed at this.

Most comments talk about the very last part of the movie. I won't deny that it does have some interest, and it's quite horrible and daunting, more in accordance with the general tone of the movie. However, again, the resolution is absolutely confusing and it is necessary to watch the movie again to bring all the missing or unclear pieces together -which, in my opinion, is clearly a serious flaw, because the general public should be able to fully understand every movie at a first viewing, even though they might want to go back for additional or more engrossing detail, but the point or central message of the movie should be delivered without any confusion.

I can't recommend this movie to either the Asian horror movie fans or the fans of the cinema d'auteur.

Based on the mixed reviews that I found on the web, I wasn't expecting too much from Sorum, but I was very pleasantly surprised-although 'pleasant' isn't exactly the right word for this movie. I've included it in my unofficial list of overlooked masterpieces, including "The Third Page" by Zeki Demirkubuz, "Last Images of the Shipwreck" by Eliseo Subiela, and "Straight Through the Heart" by Doris Dörrie.

Sorum is not for everyone. The emphasis is on character development rather than shocks or special effects. The characters are not particularly likable, although I related to all of them in one way or another. The pacing is deliberate-until the end, when the various subplots snap into place to form the big picture.

Like the unfortunate author in the movie who is writing a novel about the events occurring around him, I found the ending very satisfying. You have to pay attention, though, particularly during a scene when the main character is having a haircut in a barbershop. (Unfortunately, this is when the white subtitles appear over a light background, which makes them hard to read.) When the movie ended, I was confused, but as I thought about it, the ending became clear and I started laughing, just the author before he got punched.

Less a ghost story, then a quietly chilling character study, this Korien film about Sun-yeong, a young taxi driver who move into room 504 of a dilapidated, run-down apartment building, where two tragedies have occurred, one thirty years in the past, the other much more recent (the previous owner committed suicide), and befriending an elderly writer as well as a abused middle aged woman, survives on the psychological horror, great cinematography, and good characterization, more than outright scares and gore. More for the intellectual art-house crowd than those interested in 'J-horror'. And while one can surely see where the film is going, you still find your breath tightening when you get there. Not a film for everyone, but I liked it well enough for what it is and didn't view it expecting it to be what is isn't.

My Grade: C+

I've never seen anything quite like this picture before - it's an amalgamation of suspense, supernatural, and social realist genres and is well worth seeking out.

The film chronicles the various goings-on in the lives of several tenants of a crumbling Seoul highrise, primarily through the eyes of a new leasee who becomes caught up in their morally compromised existences. As the film progresses, we come to realize we know less about our narrator then we thought, and that he may be as capable of evil as the other characters.

To sum this film up is difficult, and I haven't even scratched the surface here. It's beautifully written, acted, and directed (by a first-time helmer no less!) and worthy of attention.