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Cast:
Jun Ji-hyun
Lee Jung-jae
Kim Mu-saeng
Jo Seung-Yeon
Min Yun-jae
Director:
Lee Hyun-Seung
Score:
 
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IL
MARE
AKA:
A Love Story
Year:
2000 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
To
describe a film as a charming blend of 'You've Got Mail',
'Somewhere In Time', 'Frequency' and 'Turn
Left, Turn Right' - all very good films in their own way -
may seem somewhat unlikely; the tones and ideas of each
production are varied enough to imply that they work much
better in their own cosmos. Lee Hyun-Seung's 'Il Mare',
though, takes a strong romantic spine and builds around it
minor elements of science fiction while also slowly creating
an underlying tension that becomes more tangible as the film
progresses. The result could have been a heavy-handed mess,
but the high level of skill involved in the production means
that it turns into something quite special.
Aspiring
architect Sung-hyun (Lee Jung-jae) moves into a new beach
front house that he names 'Il Mare'. On opening the ornate
letterbox that stands at the front of the house, Sung-hyun
discovers a card from someone who professes to be the former
inhabitant of 'Il Mare', something that he ignores when he
confirms that he is the first person to have lived there.
However, the card warns Sung-hyun about the awkward paw prints
that are peppered throughout the floor of 'Il Mare' and, when
a stray dog actually causes the said prints, the young
architect begins to wonder if a practical joke is being played
on him. As he sends letters back to the card writer, Eun-ju (a
pre-Sassy Jun Ji-hyun), he discovers that the two have indeed
lived in 'Il Mare', but their stays there are separated by two
years. Initially, neither of them can fully comprehend how
their letters can travel back and forth through time. When
they do come to accept this extraordinary event, they use
their letters to befriend each other and help pacify the
other's troubles - Sung-hyun's awkward relationship with his
father and Eun-ju's painful split with her long-term
boyfriend. As the frequency of the letters increase, the
feelings behind the words deepen and the pair become
especially eager to meet one another. Unfortunately the
proposed meeting doesn't happen as Sung-hyun never arrives at
the agreed location. The question therefore occurs as to what
happens to him in the two years he waits for the meeting of
the fledgling lovers.
This
gentle, emollient romantic drama is further proof of my
never-ending mantra that, at their very best, no film-making
industry can tap into the softer emotions better than Asian
cinema. In the very best that the genre can offer - a category
that 'Il Mare' finds itself in - the emphasis is on the
realistic emotions of ordinary people, something that most
viewers can actually relate to. While 'Il Mare' features two
very photogenic performers, their characters are still easy to
appreciate for those of us who don't look like Asian movie
stars. The relative loneliness each of the lead characters is
subjected to is effectively portrayed and never seems at odds
with the attractive looking stars.
Although
there are some 'big' moments in 'Il Mare', there is no
histrionics or, despite a few Korean ballads, obvious
sign-posting by an over-bearing soundtrack. In most Hollywood
variations on the romantic drama theme, we are usually
subjected to the 'happy music', then the 'comedic music', then
the unbearable orchestral crescendo when true love conquers
all. 'Il Mare' chooses a subtle score that is infinitely more
successful in conveying the ideas involved. Also, whereas
Western cinema mostly doesn't do 'lonely', 'shy' or 'tender',
'Il Mare' revels in the quiet sadness that Sung-hyun and
Eun-ju are trapped in while never making them appear
self-pitying. Director Lee Hyun-seung expertly shows his two
main characters with their peers, but emphasises their
isolation from the rest of the world, a factor that makes
their potential romance all the more empathetic.
While
it can be argued - perhaps validly - that 'Il Mare' has a
ponderous start, it's slow-burn quality is what leaves an
indelible mark in the mind. Instead of spending time trying to
explain away the intricacies and theories behind why such a
hole in time has occurred, 'Il Mare' remains squarely focused
on the characterisations. There are sub-pots and background
players that are only partially sketched - the relationship
between Sung-hun and his father being one - but the central
dynamic is carefully poised to create the maximum emotional
impact. Lee Jung-jae and Jun Ji-hyun's performances are mainly
responsible for this; the quality of the work they produce
here means that the viewer is more willing to forgive minor
errors in pacing and narrative. Jun Ji-hyun has that porcelain
fragility mixed with a stubborn gumption that would later
catapult her to stardom with 'My
Sassy Girl', though such qualities are not quite as
extreme here.
Korean
films continue to hold surprises for me and 'Il Mare' is
another eye-opener; it has an identity that is unique to the
area it was made and yet has a global appeal. The deliberate
pacing of the love between the leads and the gradual choking
tension that infuses the final twenty minutes is a splendid
mixture that veteran fans of Asia's treatment of the genre
will undoubtedly appreciate here. The alleged Hollywood remake
has already been cast and, after bathing in the tenderness of
this minor classic, I shudder to think what vacuous mess it
will become. Before any remake can bulldoze the memory of the
original, I would recommend anyone with even a vague interest
in the genre to watch this Korean classic.
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