Yes, it's Friday: Movie Time.
With the hype on the go for this newly released Korean movie, I couldn't wait to go rush myself to CGV in Friday morning before my weekly Friday prayer. ^^
I got enough (hardly enough) time to squeeze in.
But, this 2 hours 20 minutes movie!!! yes, the longest Korean movie I ever watched...is indeed a sight and a tale to behold.
For anyone who's into Korean history and interested in face-reading or those interested in the movie simply because of its casts (which is 'wow'), this movie would satisfy them.
As for me? I love it. Simply because it turns out to be a challenge for me to grasp what the heck-it-was, the whole idea of face-reading being correlated with the fate of the dynasty. See? it's intriguingly captivating in the first place, for me, at least.
Well, frankly, there are other reasons as to why I wanted to watch the movie: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
anyway let's go for this: the movie took me to delve into the intricate layers of Joseon Dynasty era in the 14th century (as the background of this faction (fact+fiction) historical movie).
I could assure you that: watching this movie without any prior knowledge about Joseon dynasty would not be without hassle-free:) (try to figure it out:).
I myself, was sitting (read: struggling) to comprehend what I was watching..until I got the idea of what I was bringing myself into. And I loved it.
Yes: it was about the early years of Joseon Kingdom where (like other political upheaval back then) intrigues in the kingdom were secretly lurking underneath. Okay, let me recollect what I remembered: there was this man named Suyang ( a Prince apparently) who through his wit and sleek design sort of engineer a coup d'etat and killed his relative(?) to claim the throne to be the ruler of Jeseon Dinasty, King Sejo. (hope I am right.) but.....BUT BUT BUT...
the real 'actor' of this movie is not the casts:), rather it's the idea, the concept, the belief...of gwansang (관상): physiognomy: an art of judging human characters via facial features. As a Javanese, I remember that there is also a term for it "Primbon Wajah". hmm..now I got the point.
This whole idea of gwansang give the sound foundation on how the movie revolves around the major characters.
Even the tagline of the movie "The fate of Joseon lies in their facial features"
I never thought that I managed to squirm :) myself into the intricate layers of Joseon era through this movie.
Song Kangho, Lee Jeong-jae, Kim Hye-soo, and Lee Jong Sok make up the top cast of the movie. Yes, the face reading in quesion is Nae-kyung (played by Song Kang-ho) with its twist and turns. He was lured' by Kim Hye-soo (mmm she's a gisaeng) to come into Hanyang (present day Seoul) to be a face reader. Luck stroke him to be a famous face reader unknowingly that...all hell broke loose afterwards....
I got to work hard to understand the Korean language for the whole 2 hours in a theater ....but...then....it turned out...I got the gist and idea of what the movie was all about.
Yes...I was captivated by the intrigues surrounding this gwansang.
is it a worth-watching movie? Definitely. If you're into this.:)
Yippiieeee.....a morning screening only cost me 5,000 Won!
Yes, it's a bliss.
