Purely Joyful Movie!

Nice effects though.

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

What keeps a relationship going? What makes us who we are? If we change our face, do we change our personality? These are some of the questions represented, and not necessarily answered, in this beautiful, surreal movie. The main female character, Seh-hee has been in a relationship with Ji-woo for two years and now fears he will leave her for someone else. Since she has low self esteem, she thinks she won't be able to keep him interested in her, especially in her looks. Her logic is that, over time, he will grow bored with her body, and so she takes desperate measures - she undergoes extreme plastic surgery.The movie director, Ki-duk Kim, comes from South Korea, which has the highest worldwide per capita rate of plastic surgery. Therefore, it's not difficult to perceive Time as a critique of this obsession. But the story isn't about what's outside. Seh-hee is jealous and difficult, and, ironically, ruins her relationship fearing it will end. Ji-woo loves her but still hasn't figured out how to behave in her presence, in order to keep her calm. If he even glances at another woman, Seh-hee will go crazy. This complicated relationship is told through aspects of identity, visual aestethics, natural behaviour, beauty and sexual commitment. It is astonishing how Time seems simple and multilayered at the same time. It may even take several views to capture every detail in and still you won't fully understand the story. The surrealist nature of some of its scenes may also be left open for interpretation.The downside to Time is that some people might find the story unbelievable. In this case, the story isn't that important, it's just a vehicle for delivering a certain message and developing certain topics like human connections, the hierarchy of needs one may have in a relationship and what is mutual affection based on in a relationship. Time, just like its topic, is from time to time a visually oriented movie. The cinematography is simple but beautiful, especially during the sculpture beach segments. It's hard to continue praising this movie without spoiling so we'll just end it here. Time is an obscure South Korean gem and a definite recommendation. Particularly if you like complicated movies that deal with unusual, simple but still everyday topics.Rating: 8/10

I see people waxing so enthusiastic about it, apparently I am really stupid eh what?Anyway, I've never before gone through the plot in one of my IMDb reviews but here I will give it a go cause I really am not sure what I just saw... so here's what I thought I saw:there is this cute lovable guy he's got this annoying girlfriend who would drive a saint away, she's very jealous and her idea is that he must be sick of her cause who wouldn't be with her "boring face" and in fact, she's right about this. he can't get it up until, under her direct orders, he fantasizes about this girl they saw earlier in the day at which point he does just fine. so she becomes angry, naturally. then she runs out to the plastic surgeon wanting a new face which will take 6 months to heal during which time she abandons the hot sweet as pie boy. while she's gone the girl working at this cafe along with just about every other girl in the universe, makes a play for him but he can't forget his bitchy annoying girlfriend he still loves for some inexplicable reason. ... um. . . eventually the girl at the cafe lucks out for some inexplicable reason, I mean basically this guy is the male equivalent of "there's something about mary"'s mary, he responds to anyone pathetic and creepy who latches onto him. by this time it's evident he has a weakness for utterly annoying women, jealous and insecure and prone to violence and to making embarrassing scenes. OK really my comprehension of the film totally broke down when it got to the point that I didn't know whether it was the cafe girl or the original girl post surgery who was making his life miserable at about midpoint... sigh... all the while I just wanted him for myself to take him away from this witchy world in which these horrible women were there to make him so unhappy. . . . at one point (forgive my non chron account) he even agrees to see this one girl who is not very pretty and who kind of masochistically insists on making it very clear that he doesn't really like her, in spite of which though of course because there is something seriously wrong with this guy he's willing to be with her...in fact when she's shooting a gun it really makes him think she looks "awesome" OK sure why not, look on the bright side why don't you. until she masochistically plays a game in which she leaves him behind... um. . . so at least she doesn't get rejected. OK, that sort of makes sense, why not? for him anyway, st. stupid cute guy... we can give him some credit at this point for not running after her. good boy!so then this horrible doctor who operated on the original horrible girlfriend decides the thing to do is to have our now thoroughly destroyed leading man who is so adorable and hot and long suffering undergo the knife as well, so they can be even... and . . . so then all these not by any means terrible looking but nowhere near as darling as the star of the picture guys make the scene, by this time I'm really quite honestly watching at +1 speed at which I can still read the subtitles. . . but I don't have to be stuck watching this ridiculous film with its deep implications... for quite so long. when the girl shows up with her old face pasted over her new one, I"m confused as to whether this is cafe girl or original girl... OK maybe Asian womens' faces don't make as strong an impression on me as they might .... but it seemed to me that it was in fact the cafe girl who stole the photo and cut it out and so would be wearing it... unless somehow it got into the hands of the surgery gal.and so it seemed to me that it was cafe girl at the denouement... when boy gets we guess killed, or at least properly mangled, whatever he looked like at the end of the movie...he certainly looks worse off after his big car accident. and there is one of those corny things where the beginning is the same as the end it's recursive and... as you see people on IMDb are puzzling over how to make sense out of that...I neglected to mention the beginning though, but it must be the key to the whole thing eh what? I could had a v8!mainly I just ... was very frustrated that such a nice guy was with such bitches the whole way through... honestly... that;'s about all I got out of this film.I really enjoyed the same director's "The Isle" though!I hope that hot doll face makes lots more movies though, he was awesome... better still why doesn't he just come to America and sweep me off my feet. the end!

Adventurous Korean director Ki-Duk Kim has gotten a bad rap for his so-called idiosyncratic film-making, which he delivers with an impeccable visual sense, a twisted sense of humor, and provocative allegory to spare. His fast paced productions and edgy material create films that are rather unique works of filmic art that are clearly not to most people's taste. It seems that many of his harshest critics are surveying the trees and not the forest in his work, which misses the point.His 2006 film "Time" is another journey into the human psyche. This time with the story of a young couple whose overall unstable relationship replete with jealousy issues and frequent quarreling drive the woman to resort to drastic measures. She abruptly disappears from the man's life and has plastic surgery to change her entire appearance. As the days and months go by the young man loses hope that his beloved will return to him.This dark romantic, pseudo-science fiction, tale is at times captivating and unsettling and certain to be a satisfying date movie for intellectuals. It has plenty to say about the urge to change the one you love, the obsessive nature of passion, and the culture of youth and beauty. This is one great, great film!

Time is one of Kim KI Duk's more accessible offerings. No less beautiful or challenging than his earlier work, just a little more sympathetic to the viewers sense of "what's going on". The story centres around a couple, and more specifically the woman, who is definitely a little deficient in the self esteem department. Ji Woo and See Hee are a couple that have been in a steady relationship for some time, but things are getting a little stale, and cracks are beginning to appear between the two of them. As viewers we see the final breaking point in their local coffee shop.After flying into a jealous rage when Ji Woo innocently helps two girls who are having a little car trouble, thereby gaining their thanks and, albeit briefly their attention. Convinced that JI Woo is no longer in love with her, and probably seeking attention elsewhere, See Hee decides the only way to keep their relationship fresh, and her man interested is to give him a new woman to fall in love with...HERSELF! With that she disappears with no word or explanation, only to return six month later after extensive plastic surgery. Literally, a new woman. Meanwhile JI Woo is distraught, wondering where and why the love of his life has gone. Being left to wander dazed through the following days, weeks and months until, completely unaware what is in store for him, See Hees plan to reunite them is set into motion. However, when, after several carefully engineered meetings, she realises that her plan has badly backfired on her because, despite his obvious physical attraction towards her new creation (this new woman), he is still very much in love with his disappeared soul mate. She realises that the only way to stand any chance of getting him back is to tell him what she has done. How this is resolved, you will have to find out yourself... just remember you are watching a Kim Ki Duk movie. One reviewer made comment about the trend toward plastic surgery in Korea, however I feel that this is missing the point. This is not about needing a face lift or a boob job this is about losing yourself completely. Total reinvention, total lack of self esteem and self worth. This is not " he will like me better if my nose is straighter". This (more distressingly) is "he will like me better if I am someone else" !Forget the Korean connection, this is a sad love story about insecurity, jealousy, fidelity and faith. It could have been told in any country in any language. In fact this movie over any of his others I can see being ripe for the inevitable American remake treatment. All of the directors trademarks are here, the beautiful painterly images, the suppressed anger and brief explosive moments of violence, and of course the quiet lei-surly pace at which he allows the the story to unfold. Stylistically, imagine Greenaway shacked up with Haneke for the weekend, you will get the idea. Although I understand Kim Ki Duk is not really appreciated in his home country at the moment, I can only hope that with the passing of time (no pun intended) Korea realises that it can, and hopefully will, lay claim to one of the worlds true originals of modern cinema as it's own.