Director Kim Ki-Duk gives us insight about teenage prostitution in Korea, but is this really a movie about prostitution? Looking deeper than the visual settings, I found that the movie hits more emotionally about relationships, between friends and family. The movie is basically broken into two parts. Part one is about Jae-Young, an amateur prostitute and her best friend Yeo-Jin, her manager. The second part is about Yeo-Jin and her father. Each part has its tense moments, and the director, pretty much does a good job telling the story and showing the audience: tragedy and closeness. There's not a lot of sex or violence like typical prostitution movies, but then again it is not about prostitution, it only uses it as a medium to get the point across. Happy viewing!
36 Reviews
Strange, slightly uneven, but ultimately worth the effort
bastard_wisher14 December 2005
Ultimately I liked this a lot, although it was very strange. It went through at least three completely different, distinct tones and styles over the course of the film. At first it played like a slightly skewed, but still rather melodramatic, teen drama, almost like one of those Korean soap operas. Very different from my previous exposure to Kim Ki-Duk. Then it started to become a violent revenge story, like something Chan Wook-Park would do. Still sort of more conventional than other Kim Ki-Duk though, not at all minimalistic or slow. The beginning part was actually somewhat contrived, not like an "art" film at all, in any sense of the word. But then, in it's last third, the film becomes an abstract road movie, much more in the style i've previously associated with Kin Ki-Duk. I certainly can't say that this is a consistent film, and the pacing was obviously rather uneven given the gradual transition from borderline-conventional melodrama into minimalistic, impressionistic art film, but overall there was something about it that I liked a lot. Through all the muddledness, i can tell that Kim Ki-Duk is an interesting filmmaker. There's obviously something going on in his films worth taking note of.
Art-house great
Leofwine_draca29 September 2015
Will I ever see a Kim Ki-duk film I don't like? That's looking doubtful, now that I've watched SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, WINTER...AND SPRING, THE ISLE, and BAD GUY, and loved all of them. Like Herzog, he's an art-house director who really appeals me in the way he deals with dark and dismal themes that would be grim in the hands of a normal director but feel somehow oddly uplifting when he tackles the material. Perhaps it's because his films are so beautifully shot, I don't know.
SAMARITAN GIRL sees the director returning to the subject of prostitution after the unforgettable BAD GUY. A couple of teenage girls make extra cash by hooking, until tragedy strikes. What follows is almost impossible to predict, as the story has an episodic structure, although the vigilante bit is undoubtedly my favourite part: ferocious, powerhouse film-making. As is usual for a Kim Ki-duk film, the acting is exemplary and the mood sombre and moving; this is an expose of the human condition, warts and all, for better or worse, and it contains a level of raw emotion that few directors achieve. The ending is excellent in its sense of quiet, contemplative reflection.
SAMARITAN GIRL sees the director returning to the subject of prostitution after the unforgettable BAD GUY. A couple of teenage girls make extra cash by hooking, until tragedy strikes. What follows is almost impossible to predict, as the story has an episodic structure, although the vigilante bit is undoubtedly my favourite part: ferocious, powerhouse film-making. As is usual for a Kim Ki-duk film, the acting is exemplary and the mood sombre and moving; this is an expose of the human condition, warts and all, for better or worse, and it contains a level of raw emotion that few directors achieve. The ending is excellent in its sense of quiet, contemplative reflection.
Brilliant and frustrating at an equal measure.
gtzam30 October 2004
This is undeniably a work of considerable formal rigor. Director Kim Ki-Duk uses deceptively simple but tellingly precise visual compositions to narrate his seemingly simple tale of loss of innocence, guilt and redemption. Initially everything seems transparent and self-evident in the story until intangible elements slowly seep into the structure causing ambiguity and bringing emotional turmoil that remains mostly subdued. The main plot premise, however, might seem a bit exaggerated or overblown to someone who cannot easily accept the depicted motivations for the actions of the two main characters (the girl and its father), especially considering the scarcity of social or psychological signifiers. Consequently, the movie works better on a symbolic than dramatic level, as its wonderfully concise final scene demonstrates. A must see.
'Samaritan Girl' will leave you restless.
strfrank3 June 2016
Addressing a variety of themes such as underaged prostitution, grief and mourning, resulting in a series of bad decisions that are devoid of sanity, but full of emotion.
Although prostitution is illegalized in Korea, it is still a national phenomenon. Many young women resort to sell their bodies to cover for tuition costs and the demands of an exceptionally materialistic society.
Kim Ki-Duk cleverly explores the issue by adding a morality check, introducing religious motives from Buddhist and Christian beliefs in the dialogue of his characters. In doing so he leaves us to speculate about the intent of an already ambiguous ending scene.
My only problems with this movie stem from its pacing, at times scenes were so drawn out that it lost my attention for a while. However it always got me back in the next scene.
If you want to see a dark and unsettling drama, give this one a shot.
Although prostitution is illegalized in Korea, it is still a national phenomenon. Many young women resort to sell their bodies to cover for tuition costs and the demands of an exceptionally materialistic society.
Kim Ki-Duk cleverly explores the issue by adding a morality check, introducing religious motives from Buddhist and Christian beliefs in the dialogue of his characters. In doing so he leaves us to speculate about the intent of an already ambiguous ending scene.
My only problems with this movie stem from its pacing, at times scenes were so drawn out that it lost my attention for a while. However it always got me back in the next scene.
If you want to see a dark and unsettling drama, give this one a shot.
Great Insight into Korean society
mattysid3 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I have lived in Korea for the last four years and have been fortunate enough to experience many excellent movies. Of course this is highly debatable, and maybe bias on my behalf, but South Korea is producing not only some of the best movies in the world at the moment but some of the most provocative and thought provoking movies, of which Samaria is probably the prime example.
In NaBeunNamJa (BadGuy) Kim Di Duk already dealt with prostitution, however talking to Korean people I think that Samaria is a better account of the true nature of Korean society and the Korean sex industry as a whole. It is because of this that I would like to address some misconceptions that people have of the movie from previous posts and reviews. I promise that I will review the movie later, if you bear with me.
First of all, Korean directors are making their movies for the domestic market (which is the third biggest domestic market in the world after Hollywood and bollywood) and therefore tailor their movies to the culture and beliefs that prevail in the domestic market.
Teenage prostitution is an unfortunate, but common, aspect of Korean society. In this movie the Director, Kim Di Duk, is only portraying what is the norm in Korean society. It is not uncommon, although I am unable to provide statistics, that many high school and university students and even middle school students, pay for or supplement their tuition fees through the sex industry; although this is not always in the form of prostitution, but sometimes just 'entertaining' men in 'salon' bars. It is a sad reflection of a society that the 'education fever' is so strong that young girls will resort too any means too pay for their education. In this respect Kim Di Duk has hit the nail on the head.
A couple of reviewers mentioned the 'shower' / 'sauna' / 'bath-house' scene between the two girls. For those that mentioned it, there is nothing absolutely remotely sexual (or as one reviewer mentioned 'Lesbian') in these scenes whatsoever! Visiting 'bath houses in Korean is an everyday part of Korean life, even as a Westerner I often frequent these places. It is considered normal for women to wash other women and also the same for men. Relationships between the sexes here is different, but refreshing, it is not uncommon to see people of the same sex walking down the street together holding hands or with their arm around another. It takes a while to get used to but once you get used to the nature of the touchy feely nature of Korean people it don't half help you get over any latent homophobic feelings you have! Anyhow, on to movie...
I had heard a lot about this movie, the only Kim Di Duk movie I had seen before this was BadGuy, which I thought was OK, but a bit clichéd.
This movie blew my mind. However the first part of the movie, the relationship between the two girls, although fairly accurate in terms of Korean society didn't grab me as much as the 'second act' of the movie.
Previous reviews, have given enough details on the plot of the movie which I am not going to re-hash, however there is one scene in this movie that in my own humble opinion has to be one of the most incredible pieces of film making and script writing that I have ever seen on celluloid.
PLEASE DON'T CONTINUE TO READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS MOVIE. Because I think this scene should be seen in it's bleak and raw frankness that the director intended.
For those that have seen this movie, I am talking about the scene where the father goes to the apartment of the man who is having sex with his daughter and confronts the man in front of his family. What is most shocking about this scene is that the man's daughter is older than the father's daughter.
Never in all the movies have I seen a scene so heart breaking, thought provoking and shocking and so well filmed than this. For anyone still reading who hasn't seen this movie I will omit how this scene finishes... still sends shivers down my spine now writing about it! Well sorry to rant! Please watch this movie, and take into mind what I said about Korean society. For those who don't know Korean cinema, also please check out Chingoo (Friend) YupGiJeogInGeoNya(My sassy girl), Memories of Murder, NaBeunNamJa (BadGuy),TaeGeukki ... etc. etc.
In NaBeunNamJa (BadGuy) Kim Di Duk already dealt with prostitution, however talking to Korean people I think that Samaria is a better account of the true nature of Korean society and the Korean sex industry as a whole. It is because of this that I would like to address some misconceptions that people have of the movie from previous posts and reviews. I promise that I will review the movie later, if you bear with me.
First of all, Korean directors are making their movies for the domestic market (which is the third biggest domestic market in the world after Hollywood and bollywood) and therefore tailor their movies to the culture and beliefs that prevail in the domestic market.
Teenage prostitution is an unfortunate, but common, aspect of Korean society. In this movie the Director, Kim Di Duk, is only portraying what is the norm in Korean society. It is not uncommon, although I am unable to provide statistics, that many high school and university students and even middle school students, pay for or supplement their tuition fees through the sex industry; although this is not always in the form of prostitution, but sometimes just 'entertaining' men in 'salon' bars. It is a sad reflection of a society that the 'education fever' is so strong that young girls will resort too any means too pay for their education. In this respect Kim Di Duk has hit the nail on the head.
A couple of reviewers mentioned the 'shower' / 'sauna' / 'bath-house' scene between the two girls. For those that mentioned it, there is nothing absolutely remotely sexual (or as one reviewer mentioned 'Lesbian') in these scenes whatsoever! Visiting 'bath houses in Korean is an everyday part of Korean life, even as a Westerner I often frequent these places. It is considered normal for women to wash other women and also the same for men. Relationships between the sexes here is different, but refreshing, it is not uncommon to see people of the same sex walking down the street together holding hands or with their arm around another. It takes a while to get used to but once you get used to the nature of the touchy feely nature of Korean people it don't half help you get over any latent homophobic feelings you have! Anyhow, on to movie...
I had heard a lot about this movie, the only Kim Di Duk movie I had seen before this was BadGuy, which I thought was OK, but a bit clichéd.
This movie blew my mind. However the first part of the movie, the relationship between the two girls, although fairly accurate in terms of Korean society didn't grab me as much as the 'second act' of the movie.
Previous reviews, have given enough details on the plot of the movie which I am not going to re-hash, however there is one scene in this movie that in my own humble opinion has to be one of the most incredible pieces of film making and script writing that I have ever seen on celluloid.
PLEASE DON'T CONTINUE TO READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS MOVIE. Because I think this scene should be seen in it's bleak and raw frankness that the director intended.
For those that have seen this movie, I am talking about the scene where the father goes to the apartment of the man who is having sex with his daughter and confronts the man in front of his family. What is most shocking about this scene is that the man's daughter is older than the father's daughter.
Never in all the movies have I seen a scene so heart breaking, thought provoking and shocking and so well filmed than this. For anyone still reading who hasn't seen this movie I will omit how this scene finishes... still sends shivers down my spine now writing about it! Well sorry to rant! Please watch this movie, and take into mind what I said about Korean society. For those who don't know Korean cinema, also please check out Chingoo (Friend) YupGiJeogInGeoNya(My sassy girl), Memories of Murder, NaBeunNamJa (BadGuy),TaeGeukki ... etc. etc.
It's a beautiful brutal world
rainking_es16 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers
In "Samaritan girl" Ki-Duk put his cinema of poetry and tragedy at the service of a young girl who wants to redeem her dead friend (who was a prostitute) giving the money back to all of her customers.
As usual Ki-duk takes care of each and every sequence; his movies are just like a succession of pictures that sometimes are full of beauty and some others are full of brutality. "Samaritan girl" is less reflexive and less contemplative than "The arc" or "Spring, summer, autumn...", there are more dialogs and the plot is much more worldly.
If you like the movies of this Korean director you're gonna enjoy this one, but if you haven't seen any of his works I recommend that you watch "Iron 3" or "The isle" first...
*My rate: 7/10
As usual Ki-duk takes care of each and every sequence; his movies are just like a succession of pictures that sometimes are full of beauty and some others are full of brutality. "Samaritan girl" is less reflexive and less contemplative than "The arc" or "Spring, summer, autumn...", there are more dialogs and the plot is much more worldly.
If you like the movies of this Korean director you're gonna enjoy this one, but if you haven't seen any of his works I recommend that you watch "Iron 3" or "The isle" first...
*My rate: 7/10
Perfect depiction of Korean realities.
FilmCriticLalitRao19 July 2007
To say that Kim Ki Duk is a great director would be a major artistic blunder as well as an understatement which might put a veil on his talent.The best tribute that can be paid to the new master of South Korean cinema Kim Ki Duk is to say that he is one of the most informed directors working in the realm of contemporary world cinema.Just to give a few examples:whether it is mention of the paintings by Egon Schiele or the description about an ancient Indian prostitute called Vasumitra who lived during the time of Buddha.These are some of the details (may be minor to some people)whose inclusion happens under the proper care of Kim Ki Duk."Samaria" is about the scourge of teenage prostitution which is inflicting umpteen emotional wounds in the lives of Korean families. As this is a taboo topic the reaction of Korean audience has not been very favorable.Most of the positive reactions have come from western audiences who have a mature thinking as far as their handling is concerned.Although there is good acting by the two leading ladies,it is the role played by the cop father of one of them who grabs all the attention.Samaria is not a moral story but a tale of human responsibility. Its message is loud and clear : do not do to others what you do not wish to happen for yourself.
very few movies make you wonder about life
jackcaptai23 June 2008
i watched this movie yesterday and it was a very refreshing viewing. though i don't see how anybody could see the logic behind the young girl's actions and her reasons, i fell in love with the way the movie is wrapped about in the end. it all makes sense in a very abstract way. leaving you to savor the taste of the movie long after you have watched it. even though the first half is a bit unconventional the latter half adds up so much to the confusion. you fall in love with the 2 protagonist. the father and the daughter. and the way the final message that comes out of the movie, of forgiveness, unconditional love, and acceptance, is very beautiful and at the same time so tragic. you are torn between the girl's stupidity and grief and sorrow of a loving father. in the base both are a epitome of sacrifice for their beloved, and both show what unconditional love is. you will love it after you have watched it.
Tocata, Sonata and Fuga
acorral-118 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Director Ki-Duk Kim gave us an emotive history divided in three parts. Probably a lot of viewers think on this movie as sad, frustrating and even violent, but in fact this film is nothing but an optimistic way to see life and to bring people with simplicity and second chances. We are humans and we have the right to make mistakes, some times you won't have the chance to redeem your self, but in other cases you have that opportunity.
In the first history, we can witness the deep friendship between two teenager girls (Yeo-Jin and Jae-Yeong). Both have different characters: one is a happy and optimistic girl, she always has a smile in her face; the other girl on the contrary has a terrible attitude against everyone but her father and girlfriend. They are prostitutes, at least one arranges everything and the other do the "dirty job". So far the main history involves only the two young girls. They have a detailed black book with the names and telephones of their clients. Then the ending, a fatal catastrophe. Police finds out that a minor is in a room with and adult. The girl jumps out of a window and hits her head against the floor. She dies the day after with a big smile. The other girl starts shouting: Stop laughing! Stop laughing! The second history is about redemption: The girl feels guilty about her friend, so she decides to settle up appointments with all the customers to have sex with them and to return the payment made to the other girl. She changed her attitude radically and starts smiling, just like her friend. She realizes that every time she returns the money, she starts feeling better and better. One day she was with one client and her father was in the opposite building. He saw his daughter in a room with a man. He can't believe it and in this exactly point is where the third story begins.
This sub-plot, is the most violent and in the same time the most beautiful of the movie. Violent at the beginning because the police officer (father of the girl) wants revenge. In his quest he attacks the man who was with his little one at the motel, he is responsible of a man's suicide and responsible of a murder, violent murder. The list was complete and then the history becomes beautiful. The father looks with his daughter forgiveness and a new beginning. In the grave of the death mother, they started a ritual. In the way back from the grave, took place the most beautiful scene of the movie: the car is stocked, the father removes some rocks from the stocked tire, but not enough. Returns to the car and close his eyes. The girl got out of the car and starts to remove the remaining rocks. An excellent sequence, we can solve our problems together! We are here for that. They spend the night in an old cabin. He told his daughter a history about one's virgin appearance in the top of a hill. They did the same. He returned the virginity to his daughter. She realizes that he knows. In the middle of the night he cries. By the end of the movie the girl has a dream where the father is killing and buried her, but when she woke up her father made something totally different: taught her how to drive car. They started the lessons and the father said: Now is the turn to drive by your own! A police car arrives and the father got in. The girl started to drive but she was unable to follow the police car. She is now by her own, but with a new beginning.
A very emotive film, with excellent cinematography. Kim, besides to be the director, is responsible of writing, editing, producing and even set decoration. I recommend this movie to watch, analyze and comment about it. Another thing about this film is the acting performances by the two young girls. A must see movie.
In the first history, we can witness the deep friendship between two teenager girls (Yeo-Jin and Jae-Yeong). Both have different characters: one is a happy and optimistic girl, she always has a smile in her face; the other girl on the contrary has a terrible attitude against everyone but her father and girlfriend. They are prostitutes, at least one arranges everything and the other do the "dirty job". So far the main history involves only the two young girls. They have a detailed black book with the names and telephones of their clients. Then the ending, a fatal catastrophe. Police finds out that a minor is in a room with and adult. The girl jumps out of a window and hits her head against the floor. She dies the day after with a big smile. The other girl starts shouting: Stop laughing! Stop laughing! The second history is about redemption: The girl feels guilty about her friend, so she decides to settle up appointments with all the customers to have sex with them and to return the payment made to the other girl. She changed her attitude radically and starts smiling, just like her friend. She realizes that every time she returns the money, she starts feeling better and better. One day she was with one client and her father was in the opposite building. He saw his daughter in a room with a man. He can't believe it and in this exactly point is where the third story begins.
This sub-plot, is the most violent and in the same time the most beautiful of the movie. Violent at the beginning because the police officer (father of the girl) wants revenge. In his quest he attacks the man who was with his little one at the motel, he is responsible of a man's suicide and responsible of a murder, violent murder. The list was complete and then the history becomes beautiful. The father looks with his daughter forgiveness and a new beginning. In the grave of the death mother, they started a ritual. In the way back from the grave, took place the most beautiful scene of the movie: the car is stocked, the father removes some rocks from the stocked tire, but not enough. Returns to the car and close his eyes. The girl got out of the car and starts to remove the remaining rocks. An excellent sequence, we can solve our problems together! We are here for that. They spend the night in an old cabin. He told his daughter a history about one's virgin appearance in the top of a hill. They did the same. He returned the virginity to his daughter. She realizes that he knows. In the middle of the night he cries. By the end of the movie the girl has a dream where the father is killing and buried her, but when she woke up her father made something totally different: taught her how to drive car. They started the lessons and the father said: Now is the turn to drive by your own! A police car arrives and the father got in. The girl started to drive but she was unable to follow the police car. She is now by her own, but with a new beginning.
A very emotive film, with excellent cinematography. Kim, besides to be the director, is responsible of writing, editing, producing and even set decoration. I recommend this movie to watch, analyze and comment about it. Another thing about this film is the acting performances by the two young girls. A must see movie.
Kim ki-Duk moves a step closer to cinematic irrelevancy
fertilecelluloid28 December 2006
Uneven, marginally interesting Kim ki-Duk film. Ultimately, it is about a father coming to terms with his daughter growing up. Her "growing up" is prostituting herself to her dead girlfriend's ex-clients as a way of dealing with the grief. The film is broken up into three distinct chapters and is as tonally different as each third. The center section is the most kinetic and bloody, while the concluding section is the most protracted. The opening section focuses on the friendship between the two girls and is the most cohesive of the three. Unfortunately, ki-Duk is in danger of becoming irrelevant because his films are becoming very conventional in one sense, but very inaccessible in another sense. For exploitation fans, there is some mild female nudity, a couple of very bloody beatings, and a terrific dinner table confrontation.
very good movie
ridwane30 August 2004
I had the chance of watching this movie at the Montreal World Film Festival. This is the third Korean movie I've seen ('Oasis' and 'Spring Summer...' being the other 2)and believe me, these guys know how to make good cinema.
This movie deals with juvenile prostitution and its consequences. How would you react if you found out that your 15 year old daughter prostitutes herself after school? This powerful movie has excellent acting and some great silent scenes, such as eating sushi at the grave and the driving lesson. The ending is of a great beauty.
Very good movie. 8/10
This movie deals with juvenile prostitution and its consequences. How would you react if you found out that your 15 year old daughter prostitutes herself after school? This powerful movie has excellent acting and some great silent scenes, such as eating sushi at the grave and the driving lesson. The ending is of a great beauty.
Very good movie. 8/10
Slowly building unease
Vartiainen17 November 2016
Samaritan Girl is one of the earlier film by South Korean director Kim Ki-duk, who's known for his sexual themes and minimalistic use of dialogue. And this movie showcases that rather well, while also showcasing the fine balance between art and artsy that many of his movie straddle.
Yeo-jin (Kwak Ji-min) and Jae-yeong (Han Yeo-reum) are two teenage girls wishing to travel to Europe. But they lack money to do that so they've decided to pimp Jae-yeong out as a prostitute, with Yeo-jin acting as the money handler and lookout. But then everything goes horribly wrong when the police busts in, causing Jae-yeong to leap from a window to her death. The rest of the movie is Yeo-jin coming to terms with her friend's death by offering herself to men, and her father, a policeman, learning about this and coming to terms with it through sheer violence.
It is a skilfully crafted film, with lots of layers and themes only hinted at through subtext. I especially love the final third with Yeo- jin and her father facing each other and slowly trying to reach each other over a gap neither of them expected to ever face. Unfortunately I also think that the first third of the film is pretty weak. I don't really buy the friendship between Yeo-jin and Jae-yeong. They have a few good moments, but overall the film overplays the hinting aspect and doesn't give us enough material to work with.
Overall I think it's a film worth seeing. Compared to other Ki-duk films, it lacks that certain spark, but it's still full of his signature touches and is certainly a movie you won't see every day.
Yeo-jin (Kwak Ji-min) and Jae-yeong (Han Yeo-reum) are two teenage girls wishing to travel to Europe. But they lack money to do that so they've decided to pimp Jae-yeong out as a prostitute, with Yeo-jin acting as the money handler and lookout. But then everything goes horribly wrong when the police busts in, causing Jae-yeong to leap from a window to her death. The rest of the movie is Yeo-jin coming to terms with her friend's death by offering herself to men, and her father, a policeman, learning about this and coming to terms with it through sheer violence.
It is a skilfully crafted film, with lots of layers and themes only hinted at through subtext. I especially love the final third with Yeo- jin and her father facing each other and slowly trying to reach each other over a gap neither of them expected to ever face. Unfortunately I also think that the first third of the film is pretty weak. I don't really buy the friendship between Yeo-jin and Jae-yeong. They have a few good moments, but overall the film overplays the hinting aspect and doesn't give us enough material to work with.
Overall I think it's a film worth seeing. Compared to other Ki-duk films, it lacks that certain spark, but it's still full of his signature touches and is certainly a movie you won't see every day.
Weird story full of indecisiveness
Seraphion5 February 2015
The movie's three main acts nicely shows seamless focus shift from Yeo Jin to her father and to their relationship. Yet the whole story is filled with indecisiveness that lets all the sub-stories to have no definitive end. Strangely for me, with only standard run time of 100 minutes or so, the movie is successful in creating the impression that it was longer than that. Unfortunately the movie doesn't really impress me. The technicalities don't offer anything special. The story is solid enough with constant mood and flow kept all along the entire duration. But the characters' indecisiveness in the story seems weird for me. The acting overall is not so good. None of the actors show enough face expressions to express their respective roles.
Godforsaken and Full of Hope
spoilsbury_toast_girl24 January 2005
In "Samaria" a Korean girl takes the holy assignment of devoting herself voluntarily to the suitors of her dead school friend. Her father, a police man, finds it out and takes revenge at the men.
It is a film about charity, guilt, and the search for the right way, that gets near to the crassness of Kim's earlier work "Seom - The Isle" (2000) and "Bad Guy" (2001). The story is carried away by the director's typical big calm - a distance to the excitement, that is never cold and opens a breathtaking endearment even in the cruelest moments. "Samaria" is full of intensive scenes, a film you rather realize than understand: It hides its secrets and puts up a father-daughter-relationship-story under the shelter of metaphysical aspects. Great coherence flows out of every image, every tone. A film of godforsakeness and full of hope.
Masterpiece! Watch it!
It is a film about charity, guilt, and the search for the right way, that gets near to the crassness of Kim's earlier work "Seom - The Isle" (2000) and "Bad Guy" (2001). The story is carried away by the director's typical big calm - a distance to the excitement, that is never cold and opens a breathtaking endearment even in the cruelest moments. "Samaria" is full of intensive scenes, a film you rather realize than understand: It hides its secrets and puts up a father-daughter-relationship-story under the shelter of metaphysical aspects. Great coherence flows out of every image, every tone. A film of godforsakeness and full of hope.
Masterpiece! Watch it!
Powerful and Extreme Family Drama
hokeybutt5 September 2005
SAMARITAN GIRL (3 outta 5 stars) Two high school girls finance a holiday trip they want to take by turning to prostitution. Yeo-Jin lures men via internet chat rooms and her cell phone while Jae-Yeong actually has sex with them. All goes well until Jae-Yeong dives out of a three story window to evade the police. Overcome with remorse, Yeo-Jin contacts all their old customers to sleep with them and return their money. In the meantime, Yeo-Jin's father discovers what his daughter is doing when she should be in school and his vengeance against the men despoiling his daughter keeps escalating. A simple story... the plot sounds very sleazy but the emotional subtext elevates the story into a truly heartbreaking drama. The scene where the father confronts one of his daughter's clients in front of his family is extremely powerful. The sad, tender finale is also well portrayed.
Kim Ki Duk just keeps moving forward
krikit8 November 2004
I have to say this might be Kim Ki-Duks finest work so far. Ever since his debut he has produced some of the most interesting movies in asia cinema, especially. The Isle, Bad Guy, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring and now Samaria.
The movie moves in a very beautiful pace with great camera work and a beautiful soundtrack. The main actress does a very convincing performance, especially considering her age and that this is her debut. The plot itself is also very strong, with probably a mainly symbolic story. But a very beautiful story nevertheless. And the ending is just "perfect".
Kim Ki-duk has really improved his visual style since his debut, and I can't wait to see what he has in store for us in the future.
The movie moves in a very beautiful pace with great camera work and a beautiful soundtrack. The main actress does a very convincing performance, especially considering her age and that this is her debut. The plot itself is also very strong, with probably a mainly symbolic story. But a very beautiful story nevertheless. And the ending is just "perfect".
Kim Ki-duk has really improved his visual style since his debut, and I can't wait to see what he has in store for us in the future.
Kim Ki Duk turns to high school prostitution
Atavisten22 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Kim Ki Duk makes films that will not make him popular in his home country this time about the problem of high school prostitution, girls that prostitute themselves to get expensive clothes or trips abroad. Here we get the least accomplished of his movies that I have seen. Its still good and the theme is a very important one, but its not perfect as his other movies. With his tempo of production this is not surprising, its not easy to keep the quality at such a high level when you make three movies a year, all important ones.
The actors here are not so good as I would expect, especially Jae-Youngs role was played immature. I got the expression she was a bit out of her mind all the time just like Stephen King thought of Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining'. Lee Eol on the other hand fit the father figure quite well and did a decent if not extraordinary job.
Story is well developed, but could do better with a little more thought put into the ending. The finale, it seems, comes a bit pressured, its very difficult to end this movie and this was a easy way to do it. That is not to say it was bad at all.
Were 'Bom, Yeorum ...' had its focus on buddhism, this is about Christianity. How and what it implies are a bit uncertain, but there are biblical references like the fathers actions are an eye for an eye and then it becomes about guilt. Jae-Young wants to be like the Indian prostitute that turned her clients into buddhists after she had finished with them. What happens to them after her friend the samaritan is finished with them on the other hand is not so sunny.
The actors here are not so good as I would expect, especially Jae-Youngs role was played immature. I got the expression she was a bit out of her mind all the time just like Stephen King thought of Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining'. Lee Eol on the other hand fit the father figure quite well and did a decent if not extraordinary job.
Story is well developed, but could do better with a little more thought put into the ending. The finale, it seems, comes a bit pressured, its very difficult to end this movie and this was a easy way to do it. That is not to say it was bad at all.
Were 'Bom, Yeorum ...' had its focus on buddhism, this is about Christianity. How and what it implies are a bit uncertain, but there are biblical references like the fathers actions are an eye for an eye and then it becomes about guilt. Jae-Young wants to be like the Indian prostitute that turned her clients into buddhists after she had finished with them. What happens to them after her friend the samaritan is finished with them on the other hand is not so sunny.
How enigmatic is your smile?
damien-1611 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Passing through Bangkok, this was the only English-subtitled film on show that was not a Hollywood zero-brainer. I had no idea what I was going to see at all, but I was pleasantly surprised. I did not understand why people were always shouting at one another, even when they were having a friendly chat or an intimate tête-à-tête, but I guess that must be a Korean thing. The film was quite intelligently constructed, suggesting many powerful events and emotions off-screen by a clever choice of what was not shown. The highlight of the movie, however, was Min-jeong Seo's smile. Whether she was happy or sad, excited or afraid, it was always there, beautiful and enigmatic. Even in death.
Another thoughtful film from Kim Ki-duk
Juggertrout13 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Sandwiched between his two, in my opinion, masterpieces, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring and 3-Iron, Samaria is an interesting pieces that provides a necessary link between them, sharing the themes of the former, and the style of the latter. The theme I'm talking about is the loss of innocence, something that is presented in the harshest possible manner in this film.
Two girls want to travel to Europe, so one acts as a pimp and the other as a prostitute. This seems shocking, and it is to the 'pimp' who becomes increasingly disturbed by their activities. To the 'prostitute' however, it's all a bit of harmless fun that she gets paid for. Eventually something happens, in fact it's no spoiler to say that the 'prostitute' dies. The scene that precipitates this is one of the most harrowing in the film, and shows that Ki-duk can create some subtly played shocks when he needs to. After this, the 'pimp' essentially assumes the role of 'prostitute' for personal reasons, and this is where the film begins to follow the same style as 3-Iron, in the sense of 're- visiting' past experiences and places in a new form. This is augmented when the girl's father begins following the men she sleeps with, confronting them in increasingly violent ways. One reviewer already spoke of the so called 'dinner-table confrontation scene' - it is perhaps one of the best scenes in Ki-duk's extensive library, and leaves a lasting impression.
I must applaud Lee Eol, who plays the father. His performance expresses emotions of confusion, anger and violence with remarkable subtlety and skill. As the film progresses into its final act, Ki-duk covers us with an increasingly dark pall of blue. He then, arguably, offers us two endings to choose from, although it is the latter that is the most affecting and so beautifully summarises the themes of the film. Most Ki- duk films leave me stunned with feelings of amazement. Samaria is no different. The ending is haunting, and true.
Not as good as Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring or 3-Iron, Samaria is still an excellent film that continues to prove why Kim Ki- duk is arguably Korea's greatest director.
Two girls want to travel to Europe, so one acts as a pimp and the other as a prostitute. This seems shocking, and it is to the 'pimp' who becomes increasingly disturbed by their activities. To the 'prostitute' however, it's all a bit of harmless fun that she gets paid for. Eventually something happens, in fact it's no spoiler to say that the 'prostitute' dies. The scene that precipitates this is one of the most harrowing in the film, and shows that Ki-duk can create some subtly played shocks when he needs to. After this, the 'pimp' essentially assumes the role of 'prostitute' for personal reasons, and this is where the film begins to follow the same style as 3-Iron, in the sense of 're- visiting' past experiences and places in a new form. This is augmented when the girl's father begins following the men she sleeps with, confronting them in increasingly violent ways. One reviewer already spoke of the so called 'dinner-table confrontation scene' - it is perhaps one of the best scenes in Ki-duk's extensive library, and leaves a lasting impression.
I must applaud Lee Eol, who plays the father. His performance expresses emotions of confusion, anger and violence with remarkable subtlety and skill. As the film progresses into its final act, Ki-duk covers us with an increasingly dark pall of blue. He then, arguably, offers us two endings to choose from, although it is the latter that is the most affecting and so beautifully summarises the themes of the film. Most Ki- duk films leave me stunned with feelings of amazement. Samaria is no different. The ending is haunting, and true.
Not as good as Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring or 3-Iron, Samaria is still an excellent film that continues to prove why Kim Ki- duk is arguably Korea's greatest director.
Saintly Insanity
frankgaipa19 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
As narrative, Samaritan Girl makes little sense. Motivations defy logic or escape mention.
Jae-Young's rationalization based on Vasumitra, especially in an impressionable girl, I nearly believed, but her obsessive smile throughout, from her brief career to her suicidal jump to, finally, her death "mask" renders her either saintly or insane. Or she's both at once. Historically and in fiction, short life spans seem a symptom of that particular duality.
Director Kim never explains Yeo-Jin's decision to "undo" Jae-Young's diary entries. She simply does it. Whatever thoughts I imagine for her, because she returns the money, she in turn gains a saintly aura. Not one of the two girls' "johns" seems quite villainous. Even the worst behaved, the musician who blackmails Yeo-Jin into what amounts to rape, pauses at Jae-Young's death and at Yeo-Jin's reaction to it. However he behaves in that present, Jae-Young's clinging wish to see him suggests special empathy in her recent past with him. The men we see best seem jealous guardians of some rarified gift they've received knowing their unworthiness. How gentle seem the chubby one or two I don't know how better to identify, who we see I think only in the room. How humble, though irrational given the faces, first supportive, then hurt, surrounding him, seems the man whose family we meet. How many times does Kim bring up Teresa, the layer on of hands? Read Teresa. How sane, by our standards, was she?
Suspense, excruciating suspense, in the film's final two-thirds derives from the father's increasingly irrational reaction to his discovery. Instead of confronting Yeo-Jin with what he can have no doubt about, he turns into a righteous voyeur, then a violent one. I waited, and waited, and waited for him to confront Yeo-Jin, and at the same time for her to catch on to and confront him. In a sometimes very literal sense -- he doesn't turn when the family man jumps -- we don't even know if he hears the impact Yeo-Jin's father doesn't look back, goes only forward. And so does she until (I think) the diary's exhausted.
Yeo-Jin's monochrome dream on the riverbed exhibits no less logic than the film that contains it. Rather than narrative, Samaritan girl's a poem with narrative elements, with three narrative threads or stanzas that follow on each other only vaguely, that overlap each other recklessly. Forget or only play with rationality. Look instead for juxtapositions, dream logic, miracles. If there's a saint here, a Samaritan girl to justify Kim's harping on Teresa, then I'm sure it's not the Vasumitra-obsessed Jae-Young, but the methodical, seemingly all-seeing Yeo-Jin. I'm not at all certain she doesn't know nearly as much Kim allows us to know about her father. Her saintliness seems nearly sane.
Touch points? Flannery O'Connor's fiction, Almodovar's Talk to Her, Kieslowski's Heaven.
Jae-Young's rationalization based on Vasumitra, especially in an impressionable girl, I nearly believed, but her obsessive smile throughout, from her brief career to her suicidal jump to, finally, her death "mask" renders her either saintly or insane. Or she's both at once. Historically and in fiction, short life spans seem a symptom of that particular duality.
Director Kim never explains Yeo-Jin's decision to "undo" Jae-Young's diary entries. She simply does it. Whatever thoughts I imagine for her, because she returns the money, she in turn gains a saintly aura. Not one of the two girls' "johns" seems quite villainous. Even the worst behaved, the musician who blackmails Yeo-Jin into what amounts to rape, pauses at Jae-Young's death and at Yeo-Jin's reaction to it. However he behaves in that present, Jae-Young's clinging wish to see him suggests special empathy in her recent past with him. The men we see best seem jealous guardians of some rarified gift they've received knowing their unworthiness. How gentle seem the chubby one or two I don't know how better to identify, who we see I think only in the room. How humble, though irrational given the faces, first supportive, then hurt, surrounding him, seems the man whose family we meet. How many times does Kim bring up Teresa, the layer on of hands? Read Teresa. How sane, by our standards, was she?
Suspense, excruciating suspense, in the film's final two-thirds derives from the father's increasingly irrational reaction to his discovery. Instead of confronting Yeo-Jin with what he can have no doubt about, he turns into a righteous voyeur, then a violent one. I waited, and waited, and waited for him to confront Yeo-Jin, and at the same time for her to catch on to and confront him. In a sometimes very literal sense -- he doesn't turn when the family man jumps -- we don't even know if he hears the impact Yeo-Jin's father doesn't look back, goes only forward. And so does she until (I think) the diary's exhausted.
Yeo-Jin's monochrome dream on the riverbed exhibits no less logic than the film that contains it. Rather than narrative, Samaritan girl's a poem with narrative elements, with three narrative threads or stanzas that follow on each other only vaguely, that overlap each other recklessly. Forget or only play with rationality. Look instead for juxtapositions, dream logic, miracles. If there's a saint here, a Samaritan girl to justify Kim's harping on Teresa, then I'm sure it's not the Vasumitra-obsessed Jae-Young, but the methodical, seemingly all-seeing Yeo-Jin. I'm not at all certain she doesn't know nearly as much Kim allows us to know about her father. Her saintliness seems nearly sane.
Touch points? Flannery O'Connor's fiction, Almodovar's Talk to Her, Kieslowski's Heaven.
Not a film I would recommend for my friend
lyd-328 September 2004
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this at Helsinki International Film Festival last Wednesday.
This film was hyped a bit, but I see no reason for that. This film is below average. It dwells on the same idea without adding any more new interesting substance on it. I got pretty bored pretty quickly just because of that. The acting seems so forced from the girls' part. The one playing the father did a good job, but it doesn't save this film from disaster. I live in a modern society where the virginity of the woman doesn't play so important role any more. So the idea of the father killing the repriever of his girl's purity seems so strange for me. I know this still happens in many parts of the world today, but this film is placed at modern Korean society. If this had happened like 100 or so years ago, I wouldn't mind but hey we are living in the 21th century now. This would have been an excellent idea for a historical novel, but not one for a 120 minute's film.
This film was hyped a bit, but I see no reason for that. This film is below average. It dwells on the same idea without adding any more new interesting substance on it. I got pretty bored pretty quickly just because of that. The acting seems so forced from the girls' part. The one playing the father did a good job, but it doesn't save this film from disaster. I live in a modern society where the virginity of the woman doesn't play so important role any more. So the idea of the father killing the repriever of his girl's purity seems so strange for me. I know this still happens in many parts of the world today, but this film is placed at modern Korean society. If this had happened like 100 or so years ago, I wouldn't mind but hey we are living in the 21th century now. This would have been an excellent idea for a historical novel, but not one for a 120 minute's film.
Ki-Duk is getting very close to becoming my favorite director
Boris-5726 March 2005
This is my fourth film by Ki-Duk Kim (after Spring, Summer... / The Isle / 3-Iron), and he scores one minus (The Isle, despite stunning cinematography), one very good (Spring), and two absolutely magnificent. Despite the fact that I liked 3-Iron just a bit better because of the more straightforward story and consistent way of story telling, Samaria comes very close.
I'm not going to spoil things for you, but I'd just point out that this is yet another highly symbolic film, so much in fact, that this second (symbolic) level is probably more easily understood than the basic story. Not that it's complicated, it's just that story and meaning are not as closely interwoven as in 3-Iron, where the overlap between the two made possible an ambiguous reality that led to sublimation. Here, it takes a while for the two levels to touch.
The feeling following 3-Iron was that of reaching an asymptote - only the infinite was beyond. In Samaria, you feel like some serious stuff happened but what's done is done and the road lies open. We're at a starting point, which is not quite zero but feels like it. Well now, you can hardly call that a spoiler 'cause I hardly understand it myself. But you'll see what I mean after seeing it.
The story, which seems to start out as something different that what it turns out to be, must be one of the most poignant symbolic depictions of the point at which a parent has to let his/her kid go and realise he/she's not needed anymore - or not like before. Also, silence, without being as overwhelming as in 3-Iron, plays an important role. In 3-Iron, good stuff happened because of silence; here, a lot of not so good things happen because of it, but some good things can happen in spite of silence. The ending can be very sad or neutral or have the potential for hope, if you choose my story interpretation. But who am I?
What? Still reading this? - off you go to the video store. Chop chop!
Note: does anyone realise just how brilliant Kim Ki-Duk is when shooting indoor scenes?! Framing, camera movement, light - you name it - sheer perfection.
I'm not going to spoil things for you, but I'd just point out that this is yet another highly symbolic film, so much in fact, that this second (symbolic) level is probably more easily understood than the basic story. Not that it's complicated, it's just that story and meaning are not as closely interwoven as in 3-Iron, where the overlap between the two made possible an ambiguous reality that led to sublimation. Here, it takes a while for the two levels to touch.
The feeling following 3-Iron was that of reaching an asymptote - only the infinite was beyond. In Samaria, you feel like some serious stuff happened but what's done is done and the road lies open. We're at a starting point, which is not quite zero but feels like it. Well now, you can hardly call that a spoiler 'cause I hardly understand it myself. But you'll see what I mean after seeing it.
The story, which seems to start out as something different that what it turns out to be, must be one of the most poignant symbolic depictions of the point at which a parent has to let his/her kid go and realise he/she's not needed anymore - or not like before. Also, silence, without being as overwhelming as in 3-Iron, plays an important role. In 3-Iron, good stuff happened because of silence; here, a lot of not so good things happen because of it, but some good things can happen in spite of silence. The ending can be very sad or neutral or have the potential for hope, if you choose my story interpretation. But who am I?
What? Still reading this? - off you go to the video store. Chop chop!
Note: does anyone realise just how brilliant Kim Ki-Duk is when shooting indoor scenes?! Framing, camera movement, light - you name it - sheer perfection.
Key to the ending
jimi999 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
SPOILER: READ THIS ONLY IF YOU HAVE SEEN THE FILM! "Samaritan Girl" is a brilliant and haunting film, but the double ending may be difficult for many Western non-Buddhist minds to understand. This is how I saw the ending and the motivations leading up to it: The father is the prostitute-killer, that is why he becomes psychotic when he discovers his daughter is one. He plans the trip to the wife/mother's grave, intending to kill the daughter and then turn himself in. This is exactly what he does. The second ending, when the girl wakes up again and the father has (impossibly) painted hundreds of stones yellow so she can practice driving the car, is in reality her death-dream, her transition into the bardo, and chasing her father after he has been picked up by the police is part of her letting-go.
Berlinale 2004
StefanWerner16 February 2004
Kim Ki-Duk has won the Silver Bear for Best Directing at the 2004 Berlinale, the International Filmfestival Berlin. I've seen "Samaria" at the Berlinale and was overwhelmed. It's so intense... The actress Kwak Ji-Min is really great, even it's been her first movie ever... But there was one thing that was irritating: the sound effects. Well, they were too bizarre. But, nevertheless, Samaria is a great movie from a country not well known.
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