Take Care of My Cat

a wonderful take on the trials of friendship. i was most taken by the character of Tae-hee. there is one scene where she is imagining herself floating in a boat, down a stream. all she wants to do is sit back, look up at the sky, and read. she wants to let everything go, and drift away from the mainstream. this scene was immediately relatable to me, almost cathartic. the director doesn't sentimentalize the very real emotions these young women are feeling. the music is quite good, and the performances are perfect.

'Take Care of My Cat' is a thoughtful, sensitive and perceptive look at the lives of a group of young Koreans living in Inchon (Seoul's port city) as they undergo the difficult transition from students to workers. The characters of the different girls, and the changing interactions between them, are depicted with considerable skill and subtlety, as the film observes how the proliferation of mobile phones in society has not necessarily eliminated loneliness, and explores the (neo-Loachian) idea of the difficulty in maintaining relationships that straddle class boundaries. For a European, the film also provides an interesting portrait of contemporary Korea; awash with modern technology, but nonetheless still suffering from a relatively impoverished urban environment. The details are convincing and fascinating; the themes universal and profound, yet the film makes its points lightly and with grace. The result is genuinely moving experience. Definitely recommended.

This film had a pensive effect on me. For some reason, it reminded me of F*cking Åmål, (don't go All-American/FakeChristian/MidWestern hypocrite on me and report this, it's the official IMDb title --> http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0150662/), perhaps it is the theme of childhood or teenage-ship which runs through both of them. When I watched F*cking Åmål, I strongly felt that it showed a world of teenagers lost to me now forever and 'Goyangileul Butaghae' is actually about that, so there. It's quite a film with a lot of recognition, even if one is not a twenty something female, but a European male from a different age group altogether. For the first minute that I watched it, I didn't realize that it wasn't a European film. I was just zapping. And I'm kind of sorry that I didn't tape this one. Because the film's beautiful sadness or melancholy, is striking indeed. It's really a film which you wanna own on DVD or tape. Quite nice to get a peek inside Korean teenage-twins life, the harsh differences (the policeman telling an orphaned girl who just lost her grandparents due to a collapsed roof too that she should count herself lucky to be rid of a burden) and the similarities (the way they deal with boys etc).

Okay, maybe I just liked this film because it's about five attractive girls and I'm male but that's not all of it. Like the other users said, its atmosphere, the 'odeur' is so beautiful. The ending (it was my favorite type of ending. Don't worry, I won't tell;) ) screams for a sequel! I wanna see more! How about 'Tae-hie and Ji-young's Travel Adventure'? And where can I get the music?

The Melancholic Alcoholic.

This was a very insightful movie, as far as the tensions that might come between old friends, and the hardships that come with growing up. The plot is a little slow moving, but then, so is life. It may seem like the story goes nowhere, but really there's a very profound ending, even though you won't spot it if you're looking for a movie with all the cliché storyline signs: Villain, some horribly horrible task befalling the main character, and at the end everyone saves the day. It's not an action movie, and it's not about superheros~ It's about life, and so the movie moves and looks and feels the way *real* life does.

For me, "Take Care of My Cat" was one of 2003's overlooked treasures.

Low-key in plot and imbued with tone, this debut feature by Jae-eun Jeong focuses on a transitional moment in the lives of a group of 5 female friends drifting apart because of jobs, because of boys, because of familial duties.

There's a warmth and intimacy to this film that is similar in many ways to "Lost In Translation," another film of female transition. "Take Care of My Cat" succeeds through beautifully fluid and feline cinematography and lived-in performances by the five superb young actresses.

There's something special happening in Korean cinema as of late, with such recent masterpieces as "Oasis" waiting to be discovered by the world at large. Alongside Lynn Ramsay's "Ratcatcher" and Sophia Coppolla;s "Virgin Suicides," this may be my favorite debut by a female film-maker.

A