Failan (2001)

I have seen this film twice. I'm not sure why I didn't get around to writing a review the first time, but I will say I sobbed copiously toward the end, yet again, as was the case the first time. It's a fair assessment in saying Min-sik Choi first caught western viewer's attention in the movie Old Boy. His performance in Old Boy was mind blowing, but what was even more surprising to me was that Failan was made before Old Boy, and his performance is this film was even better than the film which has brought him notoriety in the west. Those of us who watch a lot of films can appreciate, and know, an artist who takes his or her craft seriously. Western actors like Daniel Day Lewis or Juliette Binoche are among a few in Hollywood who possess this drive for excellence which permeates their work on screen. These are the two names which randomly come to mind, so it's pure coincidence they happen to be foreign born. One will notice, such actors do not accept roles for the sake of box office rewards. Min-sik Choi is such an artist – a quintessential character actor. You can tell by his presence this man is not in the game for the money. He just enjoys the art of honing his craft. I'm not an actor, but have watched enough films to know when a part is difficult or easy to play. Min-sik Choi's character " Kang Jae" in this film is complex, to say the least. He is a man in a business to which he does not belong, but which he cannot seem to extract himself, since it's the only means of living he knows. The problem is his moral disposition which simply won't let him be the evil person he is supposed to be in the small-time-gangster world he reluctantly inhabits. Kang Jae is full of inner turmoil, and Min-sik Choi is able to express this on screen over and over, and sometimes even without words. The role is physical as well as deeply emotional and Min-sik Choi's ability to vacillate from one emotional end of the spectrum to another, with minimal dialogue/monologue, is borderline uncanny. This man sucks the viewer into each scene, so you feel you are right there with him. You can almost touch him on the shoulder, hence the illusion is complete.His co-lead is played by Cecilia Cheung. Though she also gave an incredible performance, I don't feel she deserves as much kudos as Min-sik Choi, since her screen presence in the film wasn't as ubiquitous as Min-sik Choi's. Her character also is one dimensional, so it wasn't a particularly a hard role to play. In fact, I would call her role more of a support than a co-lead. Nevertheless, all in all, she deserves praise for her performance, as is the case with one other supporting character: Hyeong-jin Kong (watch out for this guy in the future!!) Toshiro Mifune is a non-western name movies watchers have become familiar with because of the performances he delivered in the many of the classic, and now iconic, Japanese films of the 60's and 70's. The same applies to Korean films actors of today. If you are a film buff, then memorize the name Min-sik Choi and let it roll off your tongue like any other western name, because this man is a colossal force to be reckoned with.

I was never one who were into love stories until I saw this movie. The fact that they took a basic idea and decided to tell it from a perspective where the main characters DID NOT met each other totally sustained my interest throughout the movie and was wondering how would this movie play out at the end.The characters themselves drew me right into their world since their lifestyle was far less then typical then ordinary people. You really got to see the struggle they had to go through just to live day by day.Now granted there would have been a gap in age but what we had here were two people who are far different from each other as can be and the only thing that connected them really was the red scarf which was the most simplest but yet most powerful thing that sparked what true love could have been.The second half of the movie took a turn to even more sadness because of the letters that was being left behind for her supposedly husband. Choi Min-sik character totally touched me because it was obvious that he had never experienced that kind of honesty and sincerity before in his life which was full of pain,struggle and who is considered less then a decent human being.The climax was the most power moment due to his character dieing and the last thing he saw was her. All I could think of during that time was "only if they had met each other, there lives would have been different" knowing that I consider this to be the most powerful love story ever because of all the possibilities that would have happen if only if they just met once.

It has been years since I've seen this movie and I can't simply forget about it. I believe in realism so much in life and maybe that's the reason why drama is my favorite genre among all and without any hesitations I can easily say that Failan is a brilliant, majestic drama movie. I have no idea if it is a successful adaptation from the novel or not but even if it's not, the success of the storytelling deserves all kinds of appreciation. A storytelling that blew my mind away. How come a "love story" of two people who never actually meet can be so bitter? A stupid question that can be replied with stupid answers before seeing Failan. For the genre lovers this beauty is a must see. Don't miss it.

You see, I never even intended to watch this movie. My dad brings DVDs from Korea now and then, and this movie was on of them. I didn't really think that it would be worth watching, judging from its covers. On spring break, I decided to watch some movies because I was pretty bored. Sooner or later, I was watching this movie. I was absolutely speechless when watching this film. At first, I was confused because I had no idea what paper marriage was. It just kept going to the girl and then when the scene changes back to the guy, he says that she is dead. I was really confused. Halfway during the movie, I started to understand that it was part of a past scene- kinda thing. Anyways, I began to become saddened as the film progressed. The girl who plays Failan was extremely powerful when acting. Her soft attitude just made me feel entirely sorry for her. I just sobbed along the way. I can't necessarily explain, but this movie is a masterpiece in Korean cinema, and I don't regret watching it.