matt-559

i saw this film at the berlin film festival where it was part of the 'panorama' showings (not in the actual competition itself). it was perhaps unhelpfully billed as a film about the 'taboo of relationships between japanese and koreans'. i wouldn't say that it was particularly about that at all - more like a teenager's struggle for identity.

i found it to be an excellent film. funny, touching and well-played. it deserves some international success.

cinema can be successful on so many different levels. action blockbusters to pieces of visual art. an action blockbuster this is not. nor is it a suspense/thriller, which is what the dvd sleeve would have had me believe, but i am very pleased that films like can still be made. contemplative and visually captivating.

this movie has obviously been marked down heavily by those who saw it expecting something more straightforward. i will start to redress the balance.

a beautiful film.

classy performances, classy atmosphere. story slightly silly, but the script is razor sharp. brings back memories of long hot summers spent in cities the world over. really nice film, but little known. an undiscovered gem.