Memoir of a Murderer is a 2017 South Korean film that is loosely based off of the real life Hwaseong serial murders that occurred from 1986 to 1991that inspired the novel by the same name written by Kim Young ha. Many other popular forms of entertainment have also used these murder cases as inspiration to tell their stories. The film stars Sol Kyung Gu, Kim Nam Gil, and Seol Hyun of idol group AOA. It was the first film to earn two million ticket sales in 2017.
A man was once a murderer. He killed people because of the rage within himself that he couldn't control. Now this man is older and lives in the countryside with his teenage daughter. He lives each day battling with Alzheimer's disease. A man that works for the local police department shows up one day claiming to be dating the man's daughter. Little does the daughter know, there's a deep darkness that will overtake her family. Their past, present, and future, is about to be put to the test.
Memoir of Murderer is a movie that discusses the topic of mental health in the undertone of the events in the film. I've never watched a film where I have felt so helpless in my life. Helpless to a degree of sitting there watching events unfold that easily be seen coming then avoided. The plot isn't anything different in terms of setting up the building blocks of the story. Women murder cases that are still unsolved in a country town in Korea. We have been here, seen this concept of storytelling before, but the charm that attracts most viewers is the issue of mental health that the main character suffers from. Everything is seen through his eyes, making Memoir of a murderer a fearful ride for viewers. I'm the kind f viewer that likes to take a guess at what will happen before the film gets there. Sometimes I'm right and sometimes I'm wrong. The thing with this film is that there's so much backtracking on what is reality and what is the Alzheimer's messing this his head. You actually get to the point where you sit back to just let the film play out because your head starts getting shooting pains from all the mind mazes the plot takes you through. A thrilling game of cat catch the mouse is in this film too. Figuring out who the supposed "cat" is suppose to be makes this film exciting. You think you know until this film makes you doubt your decision. I was honestly afraid that the plot of going to bust out a huge shocker toward the end, which the film does. Its just that the ending isn't presented in the way anyone would expect. Concepts of mental health rage supreme in the hands that pull the rug out from under you as the credits begin to roll. Many questions will be raised as you think about what you have seen. I thought a lot about mental health after watching Memoir of a Murderer. The great quality about this film is that your mind can make you think that something is only one way, leaving out what actually is reality.
I started paying a lot more attention to Kim Nam Gil after watching Memoir of a Murderer. He was all the rage years ago when he was in that Korean drama called Bad Guy but I wasn't interested in watching that kind of drama at the time. I might just go back and watch it now that it's a few years old.[INSERT ME LAUGHING] He's the kind of actor that looks mean until he smiles. His smile holds a lot of emotion depending on what character he plays. The character he played is very contaminated with evil that's sneaky and mind bending. Not to mention he was doing the most while wearing that police uniform! Sol Kyung Gu is a veteran at every role he takes on. I don't have to address him even. Anyone who loves Korean cinema knows how talented of an actor he is. His character has these scenes where the side of his face shakes. I don't know he does that but he must have freaked his family out practicing that in the mirror for hours. Seol Hyun is on her way to being a well seasoned actress. Her role in this film was interesting especially since she's an idol, however, she had a good rhythm when she acted with Sol and Kim.
Scenes shot for Memoir of a Murder adds to the spookiness of the film's atmosphere. I don't know if the film was always shot in the countryside or not. Some shots looked like the city. For example, the above head shots that showed the road and buildings. Of course, there's scenes of the roads along the riverbank in the country and my favorite scene of the forest made of bamboo. My second favorite scene consist of the snowy forest that leads to the train track tunnel that's also a reference to the other dramas and films that were inspired by the infamous Hwaseong murders.
Memoir of a Murderer could easily be on the list of the best Korean films of 2017. It's defiantly one of those films that you need to see if you like Korean cinema or thrillers. The film has the perfect blend of mystery and thrills to keep you hooked.
No comments:
Post a Comment