< THE INTOXICATING "SCENT" OF PARK SIHOO >
A FILM REVIEW OF
PARK SIHOO'S FILM "SCENT"
Along with the summer breezes and amidst the endless humid nights,
we were also intoxicated with the mesmerizing charm of Park Sihoo's "Kang Injun".
The strenght of "Scent" was so strong and its lingering perfume so spellbounding,
I am still feeling the dizziness from it, fourteen days after seeing the film in Beijing.
The film premiered in all over China on the 15th of August and is attracting many people to the charm of the film.
The fact that it was directed by an award-winning director and starrs two of the hottest actors from China and Korea, in particular the incomparable Hallyu Princess, Park Sihoo, was
sensational news even before the shooting.
The film was shot across Shanghai and Busan and shows the exotic street life of Shanghai as well as the expansive costal lines of Busan, bringing out the best of each city onto the big screen.
The filming started on the first day of 2014 during the cold winter days and therefore shows the most attractive and fashionable clothing of fall across winter.
The film "Scent" is a translucent love story between Kang Injun and Julie.
The story does not have dramatic twists or unexpected surprises, and
the story doesnt enforce any feelings upon the viewers either.
Instead, the film spans out the entire running time in a peaceful and serenading style,
enfolding out the main and sub characters in the beginning, and eventually focusing
on the love story between Injun and Julie who are hiding feelings from each other.
An unexpected event creates a situation where they end up living together in Julie's house for a while, and as they spend time together and find more out about each other,
friendship eventually blossoms into love which face obstacles as soon as the feelings are surfaced.
However, there is nothing harder than hiding feelings of love.
Love is something you just cannot hide and it is something that just naturally exudes from your face and demeanour.
Injun is torn between his yearning for settled life with Minjung and this new unfounded feelings he has started to develop towards Julie disturbs him.
Julie is gradually smitten with warm and sensitive Injun but is afraid to express her feelings for him as she is fully aware of his unresolved relationship with previous girlfriend, Minjung.
In the midst of eventual but inevitable love flowering between the two main characters, the film is scattered with comical episodes and side stories amongst the sub-characters, which help make the film a joyful and refreshing ride from the beginning to the end.
The film is not a loud, majestic opera but it more resembles a graceful serenade which humms sweet songs of love throughout the screening time.
Rather than being a massive unsettling abstract painting, it is more akin to a soft gentle Impressionist painting.
The bed scene between Injun and Julie is a perfect reflection of the general concept of this film.
Under the moonlight, Injun and Julie kiss, starting with a shy hesitant kiss, reflecting their uncertainties but this shy kiss soon becomes a deep passionate one, finally revealing and expressing true genuine feelings for each other.
The two actors' ever so graceful and sincere movements under the dark and silent moonlight portray Injun and Julie's newly found happiness in each other.
Injun has always dreamt of settled home life with Minjung but Minjung had visions in travelling to new places around the world rather than a married life.
Julie, who has become so accustomed to the volatile tempers of her fiance finds sancturary in Injun's warm and composed demeanour.
As the diaglogue in the script says,
the distance between the sink and cupboard is 90cm....
the distance between friends is 30cm.....
the distance between lovers is............??
I guess the distance can only be measured by the lovers themselves....
The film of course has its own faults and suboptimal handling of some dialogues leaves room for desire.
I cannot say the film is a masterpiece of grandeur scale.
However, it remains genuine, sincere and true to its original aim of talking about love in the most simple and translucent way.
The film doesn't try to exert any messages or feelings upon the viewers but it instead allows the viewers to feel and think about what love really means in the confusing and hectic world we live in.
Whilst true love is fast being replaced by light casual relationships, the film "Scent" creates a situation where the viewers can question themselves about what they really want from life and what kind of love they want to create in their own relationships.
Most of all, Park Sihoo really shines brightly in this film.
His visual is probably the best of all times and his wide experience in the roles of romanticists is brought to life.
He is so convincing as the lovely warm graceful interior designer and a true romanticist Kang Injun, who is torn between Minjung and Julie.
Gentle, chic, sensitive and loving.....all the features a woman wants in a man and there is no one else who better fulfills this role other than Park Sihoo.
Park Sihoo has made his mark yet again in this film as the eternal romanticist and carrys the film almost on his own throughout the entire story and makes a deep lasting impression on the viewers.
So intoxicating is the "Scent" of Park Sihoo that I am feeling dizzy and breathless.
And the longing to see the film and Park Sihoo again grows stronger with time.
Perhaps the real charm of the film lies in this paradoxical yearning for the film which gets stronger after the initial screening.
It leaves with the viewers a long lasting sentiment which penetrates deep inside the subconscious with a purifying and refreshing effect.
The viewers walk out of the cinema with a heartwhelming sensation and an opportunity to appreciate the loved ones arond them.
I wish more and more people would become intoxicated with the strong "Scent" of Park Sihoo.
It is a very precious experience indeed.....
Link : http://cafe.daum.net/pyungholove/8AEU/2763
credit : 아기공룡@Sihoorang, thanks!
No comments:
Post a Comment