As I mentioned in the "recently seen" thread for June, I absolutely loved this film. 5 stars.
I read through y'all's discussion here and don't really have a lot to add. Y'all have captured the look and style and "feeling" of the film beautifully.
Both the actor and actress of the girl are perfect. She is so cute and innocent-looking. Was that really her? Or just how he remembers her? I don't know and I don't care.
She seems somewhat self-aware that she might be dead. At least later in the film. Much of her story and existence seems completely independent of what the author may be thinking/remembering/hallucinating. How does that work? Is she stuck in this limbo until he comes to terms and beats his writer's block? I don't know and I don't care.
I liked the repetition theme throughout. A scene replayed or revisited. The meeting with the editor is revisited as a meeting with his father-in-law, which is revisited again where our guy is the editor and the presumed editor is now the author. What does it mean? Which of the three is the "real" scene? (Obviously they all can't be). Or, are any of them real? I don't know and I don't care.
The repeated looping back to the plaza and the entrance to the alley. Each time, plaza in daylight (with cicadas buzzing), and the alley often at night (or maybe just dark). The frequent motif of the AC fans, and mirrors, and picture frames where they seem to walk out of. Very creative.
He walks out of the apartment to "go get cigarettes" and says "bye" to his wife. Then she goes back to his writing desk and he's sitting there contemplating. She is surprised he is still there. No recollection of cigarettes. Logistically, it would be impossible for him to be there like that, but she seems him. Is she part of the hallucination? I don't know and I don't care.
The "blue bar" (what I call it). A real place? It seems very surreal.
I loved the scene where she tells him to let his story out via the cigarette smoke. She inhales his smoke and you can see the emotions of the story play out on her face (interest...joy...sadness) until she is overcome. She just breathed his creative self into her self...literally. Masterful.
I did catch myself trying to figure out the "2 months" thing. Like, he didn't follow up with her for two months, and during that time she died? But I just let it go. It means nothing to my enjoyment.
I noticed a few times where an image in one scene was inserted into the next--just a stylistic touch. I recall a full red moon in one scene. And then in the next scene, one of the mirrors or paintings had a full red moon subtly in the corner. The camera did not linger or draw attention to it--it was just there. Genius.
Everything about this movie was a treat. I can see some Lynchian-type comparison, but unlike Lynch (where I feel compelled to try to figure out who is who and what and why); with M, I am perfectly content to just have it wash over me.
I think he wants to see Kong Hyo-Jin do this
