Search - 301/302: A Film By Chul-Soo Park on DVD

Wow, this film was briliant.

03/20/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It gets kind of macabre at times, but that just adds to its greatness. It's about two women in appartments 301 and 302. One of them lives for cooking and food, the other one's body refuses food of any kind. One adores sex, the other one hates it and regards it as the dirtiest thing ever; they're both obsessed. The movie starts when an officer comes to 301's door saying 302 disappeared. It has intricate psychological goodies mixed in, and the end was pure genius! It also moved me... Rent it! Then you might want to buy it. It's melancholic, but spicy, psychological and macabre!"

Twist within a Twist - SPOILER WARNING

M | 04/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"--- SPOILER WARNING ---

Stop reading right now if you haven't seen this movie yet. Come back and read this once you've seen it. For everyone else:

--- SPOILER WARNING ---

This movie is brilliant. I needn't go into too many specifics, but I feel it incumbent on myself to make a few brief comments here that may change your impression of this movie in case you missed something. Yes, there is a twist ending, but in my experience so far, many people only see the obvious element of this twist. At the end of the movie, you know what happens between these two women. Now, scrap that sentence and try it this way: At the end of the movie, you should know what happens with *this woman*. 301 and 302 are the same woman. The relationship between the two women is a metaphor for the internal conflict between two disparate personalities of one woman. The film is littered with clues that suggest this, but it's still never forced down our throats. It's one of the most well-hidden twists I've ever seen. We see the wall between apartments 301 and 302 get torn down near the beginning. We see 301 sporting a look that's a hybrid of 301 and 302 (short hair, no glasses) at the end (one reviewer here was so close... it's not a hole in the plot, it's a key plot element!). There are more clues. If you missed the twist within the twist, you should consider giving 301/302 another shot. You might be pleasantly surprised."

BOY, I WISH I HAD A WIFE LIKE 301!!

C. E. Urrego | MIAMI | 04/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THIS KOREAN MASTERPIECE DEPICTS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO LADIES, THAT EVOLVES FROM ANTAGONISTIC TO HARMONIOUS, ONCE THEY HAVE EXPOSED THEIR PAST RELATIONSHIPS TO EACH OTHER.
THE OUTCOME OF THE STORY IS UNEXPECTED, NEVERTHELESS, SENSIBLE AND REALISTIC!
I AM NOT GOING TO TELL YOU THE MOVIE, YOU WOULD HAVE TO SEE IT YOURSELF TO UNDERSTAND THE TITLE TO THIS REVIEW!!
THIS FILM AND "WHY HAS BODHI-DHARMA LEFT FOR THE EAST", ARE TWO OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WORKS OF ART IN KOREAN CINEMA!!

"

Self-conscious art & gloom

MMO | 01/07/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This movie is about two women with adjoining apartments who are both obsessed with food - one is unable to eat while the other is driven to get her neighbor to enjoy her cooking. Their opposing personalities, lifestyles, and food obsessions are rooted in dark, disturbing histories that are graphically revealed through flashbacks. The story is told as a narrative: it begins slowly with an investigation by a police inspector into disappearance of one of the women. It picks up in the middle and is carried forward along with the investigation to a final, stunning conclusion.

The imagery and characterizations are vivid although I found it too macabre for my taste. Also, the lower production quality was a little distracting, giving it a disjointed B-horror flick type feel. Although I didn't like the movie, others might enjoy and find fascinating the dark psychological elements and the shocking ending. It's definitely a movie that doesn't fade from one's memory."