Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

I finally got to watch my long awaited Sympathy for Lady Vengeance and it was certainly worth the wait.

My DVD plopped through the letterbox this morning and after feeding the cat and kissing Rocker off to work, I ran upstairs, climbed back into bed and flipped the DVD in...

I like to watch films on my own. Not having to justify why I like them (Footloose is a masterpiece!), or explain what is going on in the plot, or get into a debate about why that scene was in no way realistic (uh huh) - plus most people don't share my World Cinema/Arthouse/Crap Dance Movie tastes so it's nice to kick back of a Saturday and indulge completely in the things I love.

So anyway, back to the movie. Here are some facts about it and it's creator:

• It is directed by evil genius Chan-wook Park (who may not be evil, but is a genius - I just don't think 'genius' sounds as good without the 'evil' in front of it...) who is from South Korea and has been nicknamed 'Mr Vengeance'.
• My fave Chan Wook Park quote is this: "I don't feel enjoyment watching films that evoke passivity. If you need that kind of comfort, I don't understand why you wouldn't go to a spa."
• Chan Wook turned down the chance to remake The Evil Dead.
• Lady Vengeance is the third in the Vengeance Trilogy, following the unrelated revenge tales of Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and Old Boy.
• It tells the story of Geum-ja Lee, a beautiful young girl who goes to prison for the murder of a young boy but nothing is as it seems...
• Of course, as the title suggests this film deals strongly with the subject of revenge and whether vengeance is a good or bad thing, whether an eye for an eye is always the right choice.
• An example quote from the film: "Listen carefully. Everyone make mistakes. But if you committed a sin, you have to make an atonement for that sin. Atonement, do you know what that means? Big Atonement for big sins. Small Atonement for small sins".

If you like Asian films and have seen the others, even if you haven't - this film is great. I love it.