I'm a cyborg but that's ok

went to the cinema on monday and saw park chan-wooks new piece of work, "i'm a cyborg but that's ok". i read that a lot of his fans were quite disappointed, as the movie apparantly doesn't feature even half as much blood as his earlier trilogy about revenge ("oldboy", "sympathy for lady vengeance" and "sympathy for mr. vengeance") and also as it is much more quiet.

as the show was in korean with german subtitles on a monday morning, i was not surprised that there were only two other people in the salon. actually, one of them was my former and absolutely first swedish-student, whom i hadn't seen in a year or two, so we had a nice chat before and after the movie. anyway, i enjoyed the almost empty salon, no one whispering, no one in front of me... heaven!!

the movie itself - the atmosphere with almost no one there was perfect. it's a slow and quiet piece of moving pictures with beautiful camerawork and two enchanting main actors. but even the supporting cast did a lovely job, especially young-guns selfish mother, her weird but beloved grandmother and all the other inmates at the mental hospital with all their special ticks and needs.













the story is really simple, young-gun, a girl around maybe 16-17 years old, thinks she is a cyborg. so, logically, she stops eating, as food would destroy her machinery, and one day at the factory where she works she collapses after setting herself under electricity to "reload her batteries". being submitted to a mental hospital, she encounters other people with their own special stories, and among them, a young man who thinks that he can steal peoples feelings and abilities. he falls in love with her, and is even able to save her from starving herself to death.
mainly, it is a love story, and it is a beautiful one. as well, underneath there is a harsh critique of the situation at mental institutions and the treatment of people with eating disorders. why doesn't the mother see her daughter needs care? why do the doctors only insist on her eating, but do not try to find the reason behind her problem?

the end can well be called positive and full of hope. something may change. and love is possible. everywhere.