Fatal (2013)

Really Surprised!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Another one in the long line of Korean revenge dramas, Fatal is an indie gem that's worth seeing if you're into foreign independent cinema. It's definitely worthy of the praise it's getting from professional critics worldwide. It managed to surpass my fairly high expectations and I really hope it will reach a wider audience (right now it seems to be shown only at film festivals, and it's unlikely it will get a wider release).The film follows Sung-gong, a shy teenager who is forced into rape by a group of school bullies, who call themselves his "friends". This event leaves a devastating emotional impact on Sung-gong that scars him for life. Ten years later, he struggles to go through his daily activities, but everything changes when he meets Jang-mi, a cute girl who also happens to be the rape victim from ten years ago... Since I'm a huge fan of Asian cinema, this review might seem a bit biased, but I honestly think this is a great film. Although its premise might suggest just another rape/revenge thriller, it's actually much more than that. It's shown from a perspective of one of the culprits and that alone makes it stand out from the crowd, but when you add rich character development, an effective if bleak atmosphere and a couple of truly affecting dramatic scenes, you get something really special.Don't be fooled by the lower rating on IMDb, it would probably be higher if more people had seen the film. It's daring, original and heartbreaking. It may lack subtlety, style or have a few pacing problems, but overall it leaves an impression that is hard to shake and makes these flaws pale in comparison. The soundtrack is also worth mentioning as it's well timed and memorable.Recommended to any film lover out there who is not afraid to take a chance with a relatively unknown foreign indie film. If you also happen to like Korean cinema, I say go for it. It'll stick with you for a while.

I saw this film at the Berlinale 2013 within the Panorama section. Apart from stating that casting and acting are both very well done, also considering that most actors are newcomers in this trade, I'm still uncertain what I further want to say about this movie. An interesting theme that could have been exploited much better, was my first impulse after the screening.Some surprising parts of the finale, however, make me wonder about having missed some important clues. Though I had hoped for a different, more positive outcome, we could have seen coming that a final suicide of the main character was imminent, if only to escape from imprisonment and maybe a death penalty. But why do we see in a flashback how his mates take turns in peeping through the key hole to see what he is doing with the imprisoned girl? The latter is kept for us until the very end, and it obviously intends to bring us a message. Can it be that he raped her anyway, in spite of his constant denial, hence his decision that a suicide is the only outcome possible??These are two core scenes in the finale that pass by in a flash, while many preceding scenes take too long for their own good. As a result, I question the timing of the respective scenes. Or was I not paying enough attention, and was my mind wandering off during some earlier scenes that I felt taking too much time compared with what really happened??Anyway, killing his three former mates is not justified by religion, in spite of him possibly believing that he does the right thing. From earlier sermons we see him attending, he should know that redemption, forgiveness and revenge are three totally different things. Anyway, we apparently could have expected it, firstly from the subtitle "Fatal" offered to us next to the original Korean title, and secondly from the synopsis on the festival website that steered us in the same (violent) direction. Also, a real happy-end finale is hardly imaginable with the given ingredients.I can only hope that the above will help subsequent viewers in catching the things I probably missed.