Starring: Lee Dae-Yeon, Park Myeong-Shin
Director: Park Ki-Yong
Studio: Spectrum
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama
About This DVD
This mostly improvised second feature from Korean director Park Kiyong is the
year's standout entry in a new and significant subgenre: the snail-paced Asian
epic. Shot in 12 days on black-and-white digital video, Camel(s)--the oblique
title refers to a poignant poem about exhaustion and survival, though I'm not
sure about the "(s)"--is that rarest of films: a film of the present. In other
words, it's defiantly about what it's about--loneliness, in this case--and
nothing else.
Two escapist-minded middle-aged characters with no real past nor future (at
least not together) meet, have dinner, go to a hotel, have sex, order some
noodles, and do a lot of driving in silence--a lot of driving in silence. Park
makes up for the lack of dialogue with a precise, Bressonian use of sound:
Indeed, the tick-tock monotone of a lane-changing signal is enough to bore a
hole into one's soul. An audacious exercise in DV minimalism (the 35mm blowup
yields an astonishing grain), Camel(s) is something of a masterpiece: Even those
who'll find it exasperating will find it unforgettable.
Audio Format: | DD 2.0 Stereo |
Video Format: | Widescreen 1.85:1 (Anamorphic) (B&W) |
Languages: | Korean |
Subtitles: | English |
Country Made: | Korea |
Region Code: | 3 |
Year Made: | 2001 |
Running Time: | 100 |
Special Features: | Making Film, Two Music Videos, Interviews (Actors), Other Trailers, Theatrical Trailers, Cast and Crews, EPK, Two TV Spots, Scene Selections |
Availability: | No longer available |
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