...Friends, ones we can depend on...
I would have given this film an eight, however, I was able to empathize with the main character in this masterpiece of a film and the persona characterized by Lee Je-Hoon was truly exceptional.
Foremost, there were no vibrant colors as a theme throughout the film. The colors were mostly melancholy, which rightly so sets the tone for this movie; as gothic_a666 previously reviewed, "the tone remains one of sadness and regret through and through." This film is neither about suicide nor about homosexuality, despite some red herrings. Yes, suicide does play a significant role but to a lesser extent in contrast to friendship. The way I see it is that Gi-Tae values friendship more so than does his best "friends". We see it when he goes to great lengths to preserve his relationships with his best "friends", such as rejecting a girl who Hee-Joon crushes on but only to be misunderstood by said "friend".
The way Gi-Tae expresses his love might be confused as homoerotic but the way I see it is as platonic. His platonic relationship with Hee-Joon and Dong-Yoon fills the void left by the absence of love he receives from his family. But, his platonic love for his best "friends" is unrequited and therein lies the problem. Gi-Tae acts up because he feels as if he is losing them. His temperamental behavior are attempts at salvaging what he has left. He has no mother, his father is not there when needed and, yet, he has his best "friends". His behavior and how things are being misunderstood start to unravel the tight bond (if it was in the first place) they had created with each other. Ultimately, this leads to a betrayal of friendships. People who you thought were your best friends suddenly become strangers to you. Sadly, this betrayal led to Gi-Tae's depression and his unfortunate demise.
All in all, I truly enjoyed this film. From the beginning we know how the story ends, but what we don't know is how we will get there. On that ride towards the climax, we can feel the anxiety building and see what a tragedy it is. It may not have exciting scenes, but it does have reality.
I would have given this film an eight, however, I was able to empathize with the main character in this masterpiece of a film and the persona characterized by Lee Je-Hoon was truly exceptional.
Foremost, there were no vibrant colors as a theme throughout the film. The colors were mostly melancholy, which rightly so sets the tone for this movie; as gothic_a666 previously reviewed, "the tone remains one of sadness and regret through and through." This film is neither about suicide nor about homosexuality, despite some red herrings. Yes, suicide does play a significant role but to a lesser extent in contrast to friendship. The way I see it is that Gi-Tae values friendship more so than does his best "friends". We see it when he goes to great lengths to preserve his relationships with his best "friends", such as rejecting a girl who Hee-Joon crushes on but only to be misunderstood by said "friend".
The way Gi-Tae expresses his love might be confused as homoerotic but the way I see it is as platonic. His platonic relationship with Hee-Joon and Dong-Yoon fills the void left by the absence of love he receives from his family. But, his platonic love for his best "friends" is unrequited and therein lies the problem. Gi-Tae acts up because he feels as if he is losing them. His temperamental behavior are attempts at salvaging what he has left. He has no mother, his father is not there when needed and, yet, he has his best "friends". His behavior and how things are being misunderstood start to unravel the tight bond (if it was in the first place) they had created with each other. Ultimately, this leads to a betrayal of friendships. People who you thought were your best friends suddenly become strangers to you. Sadly, this betrayal led to Gi-Tae's depression and his unfortunate demise.
All in all, I truly enjoyed this film. From the beginning we know how the story ends, but what we don't know is how we will get there. On that ride towards the climax, we can feel the anxiety building and see what a tragedy it is. It may not have exciting scenes, but it does have reality.