Review of Failan (2001) by Jesse W — 25 Oct 2007

Most people hear a common cliché of what specific movies make a man cry. Itâ??s usually something on the level of â??Braveheartâ?? where a real man of honor and loyalty dies for something he believes in, or a buddy flick that has a close friend die, like the dog in â??Old Yellerâ??. Those kinds of things are rather sentimental to a dude. When â??Gladiatorâ?? opened, I saw it three days in a row and cried every time. Then there are some movies that will make many dudes and most likely every gal cry. Itâ??s not a matter of not having enough backbone like some people have said, but a connection with a universal experience of love, death and loneliness. I watched â??Failanâ?? last night under the impression that I was going to watch what is commonly considered one of the best Korean melodramas with the memorable actor Choi Min-sik (Oldboy). What I wasnâ??t expecting was something so heart breaking that I couldnâ??t help but cry multiple times.

Min-sik plays a low level bum of a gangster who was just released from a short stay in prison. Short being ten days for selling porn tapes to kids. At the same time, a Chinese girl (Cecilia Cheung) of Korean descent immigrates to South Korea, but she is unable to find work because of her visa restrictions. With some help from a staff member at an employment office, a fake marriage is set up for the girl to work and Min-sik is the husband. They donâ??t get to see each other, although the girl has a desire to. Min-sikâ??s previous wife had just passed away and the girl is deathly ill. There is only so much time for the both of them before their lives change.

The emotions come up unexpectedly in the film, for it has a different narrative structure than most films. Now for some people maybe it wasnâ??t as surprising, and I admit that I watched this late at night, was very tired and dozed off a couple times, so I probably didnâ??t have enough of an investment into the film. Ultimately I think it is the delivery of the information and â??howâ?? things happen that makes it so sad, not knowing â??whatâ?? happened. I found myself picking up on some of the things that would happen, but that didnâ??t make it less impacting. It just made waiting for it to happen more painful. Oh, why do we watch such sad movies?

For me it is the honesty and knowing that someone wants to show life how it is a lot of the time. Min-sik is very good at playing despicable losers you canâ??t help but feel sorry for. I think almost everyone has known someone who seemed like they just couldnâ??t save themselves. Ceciliaâ??s character doesnâ??t have as much depth as Min-sik, but there is this simple sadness to her that is just as effective that doesnâ??t require words or a history of her life.

The movie makes some interesting leaps of logic, but it can be forgiven considering the emotional impact the film has. It just contributes to it standing out from most crappy romance films that count out of Hollywood. I donâ??t want to reveal too much, and it might not be hard to figure some things out, but I guarantee anyone will watch this and be surprised at how big of an effect this film can have on a person. Iâ??d much rather cry to this movie than get irritated with the fluff in a film like â??My Sassy Girlâ??. Anyway, â??Failanâ?? is more proof that Korea has much to offer to the world of cinema.