From Park Chan-wook, the award-winning director of the Vengeance Trilogy and the new vampire film Thirst, come his debut thriller, JSA and his groundbreaking sci-fi experiment in HD filmmaking, the fantasy romance, I'm A Cyborg, which have now brought together as a two-disc DVD package courtesy of Palisades Tartan for UK release next week.
JSA (Joint Security Area) tells a compelling a tale of deceit, misunderstanding and the ultimate futility of war. On the hyper-militarised border between North and South Korea shots ring out and a wounded South Korean soldier stumbles back across no-mans land, leaving two North Korean soldiers dead. The South Korean Army praises him as a hero, but were the soldier's actions far less courageous? Is only part of the tale being told? This tough, brutal and intelligent film stars leading actors Kang-ho Song (Shiri; Sympathy For Mr Vengeance) and He-kyun Shin (Save The Green Planet; Sympathy For Mr Vengeance).
I'm a Cyborg is a madcap, fantasy, screwball romance in which Young-goon, believing herself a cyborg who can charge herself with a transistor radio, is admitted to a mental institution. Il-soon, a fellow inmate, steals the other inmates' personality traits and believes he is fading and will one day turn into a dot. When Young-goon refuses to eat, Il-soon decides it's his job to get her on her feet again. This charming, tender and visually arresting film cemented Park Chan-wook's reputation as one of the most gifted and playful filmmakers working today. An offbeat romantic comedy, this touching and highly inventive film from one of Korea's best known directors won the Alfred Bauer Prize for a work of particular innovation at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival.
The two-disc Park Chan-wook Double-Bill will be released on UK DVD by Palisades Tartan on 12th October 2009 at the RRP of £19.99. |