April Snow (외출, Oechul)
Bae Yong-joon, Son Yae-jin
Dir: Hur Jin-ho – 2005 – Korea
There have been a number of Korean dramas have have hit the big screen over the years, many which have had quite some success. April Snow is one of the latest offerings and has had much success in the whole of Asia when it was released.
In-su (Bae Yong-joon) and Seo-young (Son Yae-jin) have the nightmare call that their respective spouses have been involved in a car crash that have left them both in comas. As the they dig further, it turns out their spouses were involved in an affair. As the two come to terms with the emotional turmoil of the circumstances they are thrown in, they toy around with the thought of an affair themselves.
The film itself is slow moving, exploring the thoughts and emotions of the characters in what is a simple plot. Hur Jin-ho is no stranger to this with previous offerings such as One Fine Spring Day, a film I very much enjoyed. However, this film has struggled to find the critics’ praise. Much comparison has been made to Wong Kar Wai’s In The Mood Of Love, in which the protagonists enjoy a tensive albeit seemingly platonic relationship. Indeed, Hur is reported to have made the film without a script, with many of the scenes filmed with spontaneity with the two lead actors.
However, whichever way, personally, I wasn’t overly impressed. There isn’t much in this film that makes it particularly outstanding. The story was nice and well explored, the characters worked well. But there’s no message at the end of the day, and indeed, as I write this review, I find it difficult to describe the purpose of the story.
Ultimately, it isn’t a bad film, but it doesn’t fulfill its potential. Nonetheless, by the measure of the box office takings (in which it even broke records in Japan for a Korean film), it seemingly hits the mark for some, and I do think it’s well worth a watch if you have time. One emotional film.
6/10