An effective drama from S. Korean director Yoon (or “Yun”) Jong-bin, of two former junior high classmates who meet up again when doing their military service. The film smoothly slips back and forth between two time periods, the “past” of the two friends’ time together in the army, and the “now” as they meet up again, one back in civilian life, the other still serving; which nicely mirrors the twin themes of the brutalisation you undergo in the army, and the degree to which for most that experience loses meaning as it’s left behind in the past. Not for all of course, which is the core to the tragedy in the film’s story. But I think The Unforgiven goes on for about 15 minutes too long. The image of one friend slumped on the bathroom floor as the other lies dead, a suicide, in the bath was the right tragic note to end the film on, rather than to then extrapolate this, at too great a length, into the survivor’s relationship with his girlfriend.
by Ian Johnston | Source: 35mm print
26 Nov 2006 10:53 AM | Submit Comment
