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over 2 years ago

The Woman Who Ran

a review by badelf

This film reminds me of when I played in a Harold Pinter play. The words are nothing - it's all in the subtext, the unspoken dialogue. This film, moreover, has the added visual contribution of the brilliant filmmaker.

It is a minimalist triptych shot in a seemingly crude style which is clearly meaningful.

Kim Min-Hee in each segment says that she and her husband haven't been apart a single day. It begins to sound as if she doth protest too much, but I rather believe her. My wife and I have been traveling the world for the last 10 years and haven't been apart a single day. We love our life style and each other. Apparently, Hang Sang-Soo and Kim Min-Hee have such a relationship.

Rather, I think the film is a comment on the drama that many people cannot seem to escape. It is the so-called Law of Attraction, is it not? My wife and I have friends who live in this world of drama and we tire of listening to their stories of the same drama again and again.

Ultimately, the film may be just this comment. "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result." (Incorrectly attributed to Einstein.) Kim Min-Hee views others' drama through the lens of her life, depicted in the film as watching others through a cinematic screen. She finds the peacefulness in being alone with her filmmaker. It's a brutal comment, but one I understand.