Two films reviewed, but both of the are linked. Il Mare is one of my favourite films from Korea and was recently remade into The Lake House, a Hollywood version starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. I’ll review them both individually, then sum up at the end.
IL MARE (Siworae)
Lee Jung-Jae, Jeon Ji-Hyun
Dir: Lee Hyun-Seung – 2000 – Korea
Il Mare is a fantastically beautiful story. Eun-ju (Jeon Ji-Hyun) is moving house and leaves a Christmas card in her old mailbox at a house called Il Mare for the next owner. Surprisingly though, the card is instead received by Sung-hyon (Lee Jung-Jae), Il Mare’s original occupant two years earlier. They write to each other and a unique friendship develops.
The story is gorgeously written. The plot is simple yet emotive with some suspense of what the characters might do next. Indeed, there is the fairy tale feel to the film, which is just fine, because we can then overlook those time-travel anomalies that science fans will pick up on.
The locations chosen for the film are outstanding and stunning. The house chosen for Il Mare is surrounded by the beautiful Korean countryside and sea, and many of the other beach locations show off Korea’s hidden gems. Plus I have to mention the weather, because so many different conditions had been used, that the planning effort put in has made this film so much more emotive.
As for the cast, I won’t hide from the fact that I had bought this DVD simply because Jeon Ji-hyun was the lead. A very talented actress in the few films she has done do far, she is, in my opinion, one of the biggest rising stars in Asian cinema. Her ability to draw in the viewer into the emotions of her character are quite amazing. Lee Jung-jae complements this in his performance. It is worth saying that the two characters have plenty of chemistry between each other, despite not appearing on screen much together at all. The links between the two joining words have been well thought out.
I genuinely think that this is a fantastic film, for its uniqueness and imagination, in spite – and I stress in spite – of a few holes a sci-fi fanatic would spot in a flash. It’s a gorgeous film, one of my all time favourites, and one that few films ever will surpass in visual delectation. One that deserves top recommendation.
THE LAKE HOUSE
Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves, Christopher Plummer
Dir: Alejandro Agresti – 2006 – USA
Kate (Sandra Bullock) is a newly qualified doctor who moves to downtown Chicago, having given up her Lake House for the city. She leaves a letter for the new owner of the house asking him to forward her mail to a new address. Alex moves into an abandoned house by a lake to discover a letter in his mailbox – dated two years into the future. He’s in 2004, she’s in 2006. Eventually, they realise that they are living two years apart, and at the same time, they start to fall in love with each other.
The story may be similar to the film it’s based on, Il Mare, but it varies quite a lot from it. Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves reignite an on-screen chemistry those who have seen Speed. However, this film is, of course, much more sentimental. Like Il Mare, the two characters don’t appear much on screen, however, the chemistry is created. However, the plot is deeper, involving several more peripheral characters in the story, including Alex’s father and Kate’s ex-boyfriend.
Before I make my comparison, I would like to point out that this is a great film in its own right, and very much worth watching.
Comparison
The films may be based on each other, but they are different enough to not be classed as a simple remake. The Lake House has a faster pace than the original, which is much more of an art-house film. It also has had more time for refinement than Il Mare with many of the plot holes of the original film filled in.
The Lake House also deviates from the passing of messages through the letterbox and stylises it into a conversation between the two characters, which actually works very well and makes it easier for the film to flow. In many ways, the plot of the The Lake House is much better than the original. However, Il Mare has as its trick card some superb photography and sets that the Hollywood version simply cannot match.
Overall, it’s difficult to make a comparison because the films are different. Both are very good films, but with my heart being with the photography of the original, I’m plumping for Il Mare as my favourite, but many of you will disagree.
Links:
IMDb entry for Il Mare
Buy Il Mare at YesAsia.com
YouTube: Must Say Goodbye (Il Mare OST)
IMDb entry for The Lake House
Official Site: The Lake House
The Lake House Trailer