Come Closer (from ...Archives)

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN 2011... my opinions may have changed, but I am too lazy to re-watch. I'm putting this out here, because I can I guess. 

Come Closer is a movie that might not be for everyone. It is paced a bit slow and is a slice of life. 

Characters:

• Su-Jin (Kim Hyo-Seo): She is the first character introduced. She answers the phone in the coffee shop.
• Young-Soo (Oh Chang-Suk): draws pornographic images and is struggling with his old boyfriend over an affair with a woman.
• Se-Yun (Yeom Bo-Ra): She sleeps with Young-Soo eventually ending up with him.
• Hyun-Oh (Yun Gye-Sang): He is trying to move on his life while his ex keeps showing up to stop him.
• Eun-Hee (Jung Yu-Mi): She cannot get over her ex(Hyun-Oh) and stalks him from time to time.
• Woon-Chul (Jong Seo-Won): He is dating Young-Soo, eventually getting dumped after Young-Soo decides to leave him for a girl.
• Ju-Young (Yoon Hee-Seok): He is hangs out with Hye-Young and complains about woman wanting stability instead of romance.
• Hye-Young (Yozoh): She is in a band with Ju-Young and has (almost) given up on relationships.

Notes:

So…let’s talk about Come Closer. Right from the start the movie gives and indie vibe. I usually like the genre in general; however it seemed a bit cookie-cutter. As if the creators got together and said, oh this will definitely make it more indie. Take for instance the opening. The movie begins with a Polish guy looking for his girlfriend. He calls a Korean Coffee shop, explaining that someone told him she might be there. The girl who picks up the phone tells him no, and opts to listen to his story. The polish guy proceeds to describe his girlfriend a bit and what it’s like in Poland. This whole ordeal goes on for about ten minutes, during which, I was under the impression that the scene was the opening credits for the production team. You know, like Pixar’s short animation before the movie begins. There was also a very mellow vibe that screamed; look I’m indie!

Most of the stories that were presented were a bit too brief for me to gain any emotional attachment. For example during the scene with Eun-Hee and Hyun-Oh, I was trying to figure out its point. I know some movies are just stories that don’t have a deeper meaning, but sometimes the story should be interesting. You know? I didn’t really care that she couldn’t get over him. It happens to all of us; however we do not go stalking our exes.

The story revolving around Young-Soo was probably my favorite because it consisted of about half of the movie. I was able to get a grasp on the situation while formulating an opinion. I understood that it was a big deal for him. Most people are concerned about liking the same sex and try to push their awareness away, however it is opposite for Young-Soo. He pushed away his preference for women because he mistook admiration for love.

(4:38PM)(10/13/11)

Thus the awkward scene where he had sex with Se-Yun makes a hell of a lot of sense. During most sex scenes, participants act with lust (or passion…whatever you want to call it) but Young-Soo is making a discovery. Oh my goodness, after all these years, I never knew this could feel so good. And with this, his movement is a bit stifled. All his life he thought he knew one thing, but within an instant the rules have completely changed. It’s like eating the forbidden fruit, there is no back button. The whole confrontation with Woon-Chul (his boyfriend) adds on to his development.

(5:10PM)

Young-Soo explains that he had felt inferior to Woon-Chul since high school. As he watched in envy, he became attached. He wanted to be closer (unintentional reference to the movie title) to Woon-Chul in hopes to be a little more like him.

….AGH!!!

(5:16PM)

Obsessed

(5:17PM)

As time draws on, he becomes more obsessed with Woon-Chul, eventually forming a relationship with him. He felt happy, but only because he was making Woon-Chul happy. It’s kind of like when we were younger (or even now), we became obsessed with celebrities and wanted to be just like them. At the end the movie, we don’t know whether or not Young-Soo and Se-Yun will last as a couple, but it is irrelevant. The point the movie is trying to make, is that Young-Soo needs to find himself. If dating a woman makes him happier, then he should do so.

 (10/13/11)(9:01PM)

My second favorite story is the friendship between Hye-Young and Ju-Young. For some reason I enjoyed their pessimism about love. While looking at younger couples still in their honeymoon phase, they both agree that after a while, people want stability over a fast burning love. Hye-Young seems to be more in a rut than Ju-Young, claiming that all guys are idiots. It is established early on that she has gotten out of a relationship, however how much time has passed since them remains unknown. Thus it is unclear about whether or not this is just a phase for her. It makes me curious; will she ever be able to accept a relationship again? She seemed so adamant about her position in the whole ordeal that it is hard for me to imagine her doing so. There was an occasional moment or two in which I thought that there was an attraction between them; however I am still unsure about whether or not this was intended. Because of this I like how their scene ended with their future unclear.

The ending of the movie was a bit typical, indie music and shots of the characters on their own. Seeing as this movie consisted of multiple storylines, it is hard to imagine an alternative. It just seemed like it was missing something though…The last shot was of Hye-Young looking nonchalantly into the distance. I kind of wished that it would have ended with a shot of leaves or something, I don’t know. I felt like there should be a deeper meaning behind choosing her, but I couldn’t find it. Any ideas?

Overall I liked the movie, but I had to watch it in intervals because it was a bit slow at some points. After completing the film, I looked up the actress who played Hye-Young and was surprised to learn that she was an indie singer (Yozoh). Her music is quite nice to listen to while working on homework or writing. I didn’t think her acting was bad at all, does anyone else think differently?? I decided to watch this because Yun Gye-Sang was in it, but was disappointed that his role in this movie was approximately 20 or so minutes.

I would give this movie a 7.5 /10 for quality and an 8/10 for personal preference.