I’M A CYBORG BUT THAT’S OK

Circumstances have led me to a slightly “themed” week. Well, partially themed anyway. And the theme of the week is South Korea! I have chosen for your delight and delectation two South Korean classics. And one of them is “I’m a Cyborg But That’s OK” by Park Chan Wook. Park Chan Wook is possibly the most famous modern Korean director, known for such classic films as Oldboy, Mr Vengeance and more recently Thirst.
Now, if you watched any of his movies before, you might be struck by the general darkness of the themes and of the movie itself. Not so in this case. I’m a cyborg but that’s ok is quite serious in its own way, but it’s basically a rather fantastic love story. The whole story takes place in a psychiatric hospital in Korea. The newest addition to the “family” is Su jeong-lim who thinks she is a cyborg. She is also on a mission however. She must make contact with her grandmother (who is really a mouse and was taken away by the same white-coats who didn’t believe her either) to find out her own reason of existence. Oh, and she must kill all the white-coats to avenge her grandmother. In hospital, she meets Rain. He is a thief. Not a kleptomaniac though, he can steal anything. From your pity to your talent for ping-pong. Su jeong-lim is struck by Rain but nothing will deter her from her mission. However, the other rather eccentric inmates are not going to make things easy for her either…
Now, even though there is no animation per-se, fans of anime will find something bizarrely familiar in this film. I can’t begin to describe what, but I definitely know it’s there. It’s something in the larger-than-life characters. The cheerful décor, the crazy adventures, the surreal atmosphere… Within a matter of minutes, Park Chan Wook has taken us on a crazy journey in a magical land- despite the presence of doctors and nurses- and even group therapy constantly reminds us where the “magic” is coming from… Still, we never think about that for long… The typically Asian attention to detail, the tasteful and subtle comedy, the pure art… A lot of Asian films may be considered difficult to watch, especially if you are not used to the genre. They can be considered dark, or too deep with too many subtle messages for the “Hollywood-numbed” brain. But this film is just so purely esthetic and joyful, I can’t think of a better introduction to Asian cinema. One last foot-note I will be adding is that if you like this film, you should really try watching some “anime” too, I’m ready to bet you’d like it. And vice – versa of course.