Cello (2005/Tartan/DTS)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B-     Extras: C     Film: C

 

 

I have become increasingly interested in Korean genre filmmaking, especially after being so impressed with 301/302 (reviewed elsewhere on this site) and noticing how much more serious and ambitious their such films have been as compared with efforts from other Asian cinemas.  That does not guarantee a winner every time and Lee Woo-Chul’s Cello (2005) has some good flow, but it ultimately leads nowhere.

 

Excellent cellist Mi-ju encounters a return of the repressed as the pain of a horrible accident return, but they seem accompanied by a supernatural force that only makes things worse.  Does it want revenge?  What did she do wrong?  Is it just mad at her ands does not care?  Should we care?  The film runs about 90 minutes and feels more like an extended short than a full feature, partly thanks to having a first-time director and script that does not know what to do with itself or how to end the film.  It is never scary and though intelligent, drags on and on.  Skip this one.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is not great, but had enough moments of color and detail to enjoy, even when more than a few shots seem second generation.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is a bit weak and DTS 5.1 not as strong as it has been in past Tartan DTS DVDs, pointing to the likelihood that this was not recorded as well at it could or should have been during production.  Extras include the original theatrical trailer, TV spot, behind the scenes featurette and director’s commentary with available English subtitle translation.  The latter is interesting, but does not save the film.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo