Recalling both the erotic tension and the surrealist imagery of Woman of the Dunes, Kim Ki-duk’s film is set near a remote lake where men come far and wide to fish on anchored rafts.
Running a little bait-and-tackle shop is the earthy – almost feral – young lass Hee-jin (Seoh Jung), who sometimes sells herself for a price to horny fishermen.
On one raft is the morose youth Hyun-shik (Kim Yu-seok), who Hee-jin has quietly taken a shine to after saving him from a suicide attempt.
His ham-fisted advances are rejected, but after a second try at suicide, in which he puts fishing hooks in his mouth, she nurses him back to health.
Soon, a freakily-intense relationship builds between the two in which the jealous Hee-jin starts to brutally dispatch with any competition. This film was screened at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. -- allmovie guide
Cast:Jung Suh, Yoosuk Kim, Sung-hee Park, Jae-hyeon Jo, Hang-Seon Jang
Venice (Competition), Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema), Sundance (World Cinema), Rotterdam
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About this movie
Title: The Isle | Seom (2000)
Directed by: Kim Ki-duk
Date of birth: 20 December 1960, South Korea, Bongwha
Writing credits: Kim Ki-duk
Music: Sang-yun Jeon
Year: 2000
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean
Color: Color
Runtime: 86 min.