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57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful but not in Korean!!!, August 12, 2004
Let me just warn you if you are looking at this wanting a Korean film.The movie is dubbed in Mandarin and Cantonese only!
There is no Korean. How someone managed to leave off this important piece of information is truly mind- boggling and enormously irritating. Personally I find the Chinese dubbed audio detracts enormously from the quality of the film. It is like watching STAR WARS in french or something. Just because the langauge is Asian doesn't make it any less stupid!
Try Amazon.co.jp for the Korean version under the title 'Il mare'.
Anyway, what follows is about the Korean film version I saw on TV before i bought this.
The few South Korean films I have seen possess a quietly tragic, deeply pervasive sense of sadness and loneliness, of people who struggle to find a happiness that evades them. This film is no exception. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, it is a gorgeous, poignant, magical and touching film.
It tells the story of two people who each live in the same house two years apart. Eun-ju lives in 1999. As the movie starts she is leaving a small and extraordinarily beautiful house by the sea. Sunghyon is moving in- but two years earlier. He finds a letter form her in his mailbox, addressed to the next owner of the house. Something is wrong here, and soon we have a clear idea that the chronological order of this film is unusual to say the least.
They share a magic portal of sorts- their letter box. Through this they start to exchange letters and thoughts and help each other through the sometimes sad loneliness of their lives- always 2 years apart. Eventually the two arrange a date in the future where they shall both finally meet. For her it is two weeks away, for him two years.
As this takes place, the two central characters are seen removed from the happiness of others around them. They celebrate christmas alone, work late through new year, and eat alone. There is a soft beauty in their dignity and their solitude, but Eun-ju's sadness tells us something has gone wrong. A quiet unstated love develops between them. We are aware of it even as they are not. They do not meet, and movie proceeds to unravel the story that surrounds them.
The small house by the sea, 'Il Mare', gives this movie its sometimes seen Italian/international title. The cinematography here is divine and the colours are exquisite. Much of the film is pervaded by a quiet, almost silent, sadness. Despite this the movie is, through the quality and genius of the script and the screenplay, almost shamlessly romantic and curiously uplifting. Watching this I smiled as I cried - for a whole number of different reasons, waiting for my heart to burst.
It is an unforgettable and magical film...but only if it is in Korean. Having seen the original Korean, the Chinese dub really is a load of garbage.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What if the only obstacle was time? , April 24, 2006
Il Mare is a real gem of a find movie from South Korea, if you can find it in the foreign film video section.
Il Mare is "The Sea" in Italian and the love story takes place in a seaside house. A man and a woman live there but are separated by two years. He is in 1997 and she is in 1999 and they correspond through a magical mailbox that crosses time. As their letters continue both try to solve the mystery and see if they can bridge time to meet. It's a beautiful tale of how love can be so perfect yet timing so imperfect. The right person for you is THAT nearby but a flip in the time continum keeps you star-crossed permanently. If you are able to scout it ... look for the Japanese film "Love Letter" which was released in the late 1990's. A similar theme of love, loss, and redemption through letters.
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20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Great movie, horrific transfer, November 20, 2005
This review is related to the 'Tai Seng' release of 'Il Mare'. I actually think 'Il Mare' could be one of my top ten favorite Korean Movies but I will have to wait until a watchable version of this film is released on DVD in this country. This release was horrible. Truly atrocious. Do these people watch the DVD's they produce? The screen is stretched, aspects/ratio's anybody. If that wasn't bad enough the gloomy haze of the picture prevents you from enjoying what may or may not have been beautiful scenery of the Korean coastline. If you've ever been victim of one of those bootleg DVD's where the screen is off-kilter and people suddenly start walking in front of the screen, well this isn't any better than that. Still, I watched the movie through and even through the haze & distortion I could discern that I liked the movie but will wait for a watchable version. I know there's a Region 0 Double Disc edition out there but I think that the transfer on that one sucks too. I'm hoping that with the American Remake with Sandra Bullock this lovely little film will get the DVD release it deserves. IE: Watchable. I gave my copy away to a friend at work
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