Review of The Isle (2000) by Michael C — 03 Dec 2007

Kim Ki Duk's masterpiece; I doubt he will be able to top this. This film achieves the perfect tension between earthy, brutal violence and spiritual other-worldliness, a conflict which pre-occupies this director.

But if Bad Guy was too violent and Spring, Summer... too other-worldly, here the effect of that dichotomy (and its dissolution) are captured perfectly. The physical constraints on location give the film intensity and the typically sparse dialogue and use of a dark palette add to the effect, which is to give the whole film a kind of melancholy tension.

Only at the end does the director allow himself the contrivance of overt metaphor. The fish hook scenes are much over rated, they are far less disgusting than most Western horror films will offer as standard fare.

One might also compare with the Korean concept Han, which can be described as a "feeling of unresolved resentment against injustices suffered, a sense of helplessness because of the overwhelming odds against one, a feeling of acute pain in one's guts and bowels, making the whole body writhe and squirm, and an obstinate urge to take revenge and to right the wrong -- all these combined.

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