Review of I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2006) by Phil D — 21 Oct 2007

Park Chan-wook makes a contextual departure from his commercial success, Joint Security Area, and a thematic counterpoint for the films in which he is most known for in the west, namely the Vengeance trilogy. This film is inventive, whimsical and strident in its content and humor, but will this departure from 'extreme' cinema please western audiences?

Im Soo-jeong, still with the same apropos vitamin D deficiency from her take in Tale of Two Sisters is sleepily brilliant as the frail Yeong-goon. Yeong-goon is starving herself as she is convinced she is a combat cyborg capable of surviving on transistor radio battery powered energy. She is seemingly unable to express her universe to the outside world; the root cause of her trauma seems to be her grandmother's enforced hospitalization. Yet, kleptomaniac Il-soon (performed by Jeong Ji-hun, incidentally winner of Time magazine's most influential person 2007) a fellow patient, takes the initiative to explore her subjective reality and in so doing cures a part of her mental illness. Il-soon, the main male supporting character certainly challenges many of the ideas in Kyung Hyun Kimâ??s Remasculinization of Korean Cinema, as his performance coincides with many of the new wave male metro sexual presentations. All the performances, discussed a little later, are upbeat and fluffy, which coincide nicely with the crisp and iconic tone of the film.

In this film, Park Chan-wook is interested in issues around schizophrenia, isolation and its connectedness with love. The film's analysis is not in anyway loyal to the complexities of real mental health issues. Park Chan-wookâ??s exacting of the psychoanalytical narrative structure is what makes this film superior to those in the west that portray severe mental illness in a condescending or heavy handed manner. In accordance with the Vengeance trilogy, Park Chan-wook's presentation of mental illness is a black and white affair. If one recalls the caricatured performance for the character with cerebral palsy in Sympathy, the same is mirrored here for schizophrenia.

I predict that the cultural differences in the way that mental health issues are dealt with in this film have the potential to offend some audiences in the west. The film's presentation of obesity, dementia, paranoia, speech impediment and motherhood may be interpreted as cruel clichés. However, this reviewer felt that the distinct disparages were appropriate to the narrative discourse that Park employed. Albeit from a Western perspective understandably offensive, the nuanced sarcasm that prevails throughout the visual and contextual tone of the film in regards to the environment of an asylum must be taken into consideration. Additionally, the different understanding of what is politically correct in Korea should be taken into view. 'I'm a Cyborg But That's OK' keeps to the white hot crispness of Park's 'telenovela' meets 'extreme cinema' formula evident in his earlier cinema while introducing the dark sardonic and subtle cutesy often found in contemporary Korean romantic comedies.

All the performances are light and somewhat caricatured as they all seek to find some consistency to their lives. Some sequences in which characters develop an understand of themselves, their fellow inmates or the environment they live in are truly amusing and the visual manner in which these sequences have been composed is inspiring and interesting.

Cinematographer Jeong Jeong-hun and production manager Ryu Seong-hee create a wonderful design and colour tone for this movie. The hospital with its fruity hues and ageing walls work wonderfully with the mordant script. The opening credits sequence is dazzling and original, one of the most unique to be found this year.

I'm not sure how this film will fit into Western audiences. The tone of this film is consistent with many romantic comedies coming from the Korean New Wave since 2001. I'm not sure how it will fit into the 'extreme' bracket that western audiences have allocated for Park Chan-wook. I hope you enjoy this movie as much as I did. It takes some getting used to, but the combination of disturbing black humor with fluffy cutesy is how its done in South Korea. The combination of Chan-wook's inventive visual style is what strikes this film above others from the romantic comedy repertoire coming out frequently from this exciting cinematic region.