I'm sitting here trying to think of what to say about this movie and what I'm getting is a stream of adjectives... Bewildering; brutal; heart-wrenching; astonishing; baffling; mind-bending; ingenious; perplexing; poetic...
And that's weird because when I'd finished watching (about an hour ago,) I wasn't sure if what I'd seen was something I loved or hated. Thankfully, with the vital clue given by user Eaveta (don't read her post unless you want a significant hint,) and some serious thought, I was able to unravel enough of the confusion, clear away some of the, er, cobwebs, and discard the latter option. A truly remarkable story and unexpected gem of a psychological mystery-thriller. This rental is good for the rest of the week and I will definitely be diving into a big, tasty second helping.
There are a dozen utterly perplexing paradoxes in this story, the most significant of which involves the intentional confusion of the protagonist's character with that of another, creating an inescapable time-loop - which left me shaking my head and talking aloud to the screen like a lunatic. Another such paradox involving a different major character had me pausing the movie to ponder the implications of it all. It soon became evident that these complex twists and turns were to be regular occurrences, but unlike...well, another recent Korean thriller, in "Spider Forest" the wrenching, mind-blowing plot twists had a definite, calculated, and most importantly, *logical* purpose: To weave an intricate puzzle around one solid, definite final truth whose eventual revelation unfolds with the elegance and dramatic impact of a symphony. Remember how the UFO tune "Love to Love" ends? That heady, stratospheric crescendo that finally - and abruptly - crashes to Earth with a finality that leaves you physically shaken? The ending of "Spider Forest" is a lot like that (the word "phenomenal" springs immediately to mind here.)
The mood is as relentless an emotional edge as that of Mickey Roarke's "Prayer for the Dying"; the photography is dark and atmospheric without being either contrived or openly depressing; the acting is great all around - Kang's firing scene alone is one of the most quietly horrific of the film; the supernatural tinges are understated enough to allow the film to be classified as a completely non-supernatural mystery, yet serve to tie the story threads together comfortably and seamlessly - something that would likely have been botched in the hands of a lesser writer/director.
The real star of the show is of course the story itself. It's a brilliant, circular thing that reminds me of Pink Floyd's "Wall" or maybe just that circular, intertwined knot on the cover of King Crimson's classic "Discipline." As it progresses you're kept in a constant state of agitation - that gnawing feeling that there's something vital you've missed (and in fact you will have,) something you can a-l-l-l-most get a handle on but not quite - just as the next tidbit of knowledge passes before you then quickly away, before you can get a grasp of *it*. The overall effect is to leave you in something of a daze - not of disgust at a puzzle that's insoluble by design (like... another recent Korean thriller,) but rather the healthy agitation of grappling with a worthy challenge to your intellect.
That, folks, is great storytelling.
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