This movie disappointed me. I knew that coming out of a relatively homophobic country, it probably wouldn't be groundbreaking in that sense, but I still hoped that it would set a good standard for lgbtq movies.
The plot itself is great. It follows the plot of 'fingersmith' rather closely, except it is set in 1930's Korea. It has many plot twists and strange characters that keep you on your toes.
The cinematography is also, of course, beautiful. The costumes and sets are magnificent and appealing. It has a great soundtrack and also good acting.
So why do I give it a 6/10? It mostly has to do with the fetishization of lesbians. The sex scene is ridiculous. They scissor, for chrissakes. No one does that in real life. It is dramatized and obviously panders to a male audience. It does nothing to further the plot. I was incredibly disappointed in this scene. It was a complete waste of 10 minutes (yes, 10 minutes). It watches like porn, the kind made specifically for men.
To make matters worse, the two female characters are not very fleshed out. They meet, they have sex, now they're in love. There is barely any conversation between the two. The two lead actresses do a superb job of portraying sexual tension, but it is thrown in your face early on. Being gay was not exactly the norm in the 1930's. It's unlikely that two women would act so, well, gay around each other so soon after meeting. That adds to the idea that their relationship is being used for the sex appeal and not for the plot.
Yes, this movie is worth watching. But don't go into it expecting an empowering message for lgbtq viewers. They could have done a lot more with the relationship movie, but instead they decided to play it safe, throwing away an accurate representation of a gay relationship. I suppose the world is not ready for a real lesbian movie.
The plot itself is great. It follows the plot of 'fingersmith' rather closely, except it is set in 1930's Korea. It has many plot twists and strange characters that keep you on your toes.
The cinematography is also, of course, beautiful. The costumes and sets are magnificent and appealing. It has a great soundtrack and also good acting.
So why do I give it a 6/10? It mostly has to do with the fetishization of lesbians. The sex scene is ridiculous. They scissor, for chrissakes. No one does that in real life. It is dramatized and obviously panders to a male audience. It does nothing to further the plot. I was incredibly disappointed in this scene. It was a complete waste of 10 minutes (yes, 10 minutes). It watches like porn, the kind made specifically for men.
To make matters worse, the two female characters are not very fleshed out. They meet, they have sex, now they're in love. There is barely any conversation between the two. The two lead actresses do a superb job of portraying sexual tension, but it is thrown in your face early on. Being gay was not exactly the norm in the 1930's. It's unlikely that two women would act so, well, gay around each other so soon after meeting. That adds to the idea that their relationship is being used for the sex appeal and not for the plot.
Yes, this movie is worth watching. But don't go into it expecting an empowering message for lgbtq viewers. They could have done a lot more with the relationship movie, but instead they decided to play it safe, throwing away an accurate representation of a gay relationship. I suppose the world is not ready for a real lesbian movie.