Oh boy, i don't know where to begin, honestly.
A short disclaimer: This """rant"""/discussion isn't necessarily bashing the movie; I was actually entertained with this film, there's just a few things i need to critique.
Following this post, i've also pushed a relevant update for this title to the main LDDB page. It should be added.
Alright, let's dive in. Firstly, the information on this flick:
- Korean origin film; Audio is fully South Korean (Northern Busan accent)
- It was released by IMAGE, in America, in 1997. I believe the film itself is from 1995.
- Movie is subtitles in British English; White subtitles. Accurate.
- 1 disc (2 sides, CLV); About 100 minutes, excluding credits
- Genres: """"""""""""""" COMEDY """"""""""""""""" (not)
- LDDB reference: 301/302 (1995) [ID3355HL]
Now my rant:
301/302 takes place in an apartment complex on the third floor. The neighbor in 301 (female) gets confronted by a detective at the door, reporting that 302 is missing and would like some information. This movie is about the back story of the main character and her relationship to 302 (also a girl) and how 302 disappeared. This movie also explains why the main character, 301, moved to the apartment in 301.
The jacket of this movie, as well as it's director, categorizes this movie as a comedy. Allow me to explain to you why this movie is NOT, in ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM, a comedy but actually a HORROR film.
In order for me to explain my feelings and critiques towards this this, i will need to spoil a few things.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
301 moved to 301 becuase she got a divorce with her husband. Her husband loves her cooking, but 301 constantly, every night, asks how the cooking is. This drives the husband crazy and makes him more distant to 301. 301 get's upset and tries to apologize with more food, pissing off the husband even more and causing him to cheat. - 301 is sex crazed and loves to cook; It's genuinely all she lives for, as she explains to 302 later. 301, being distressed by lack of sex and interest from her husband picks up an eating disorder; Her husband rarely eats the food, close to the divorce time, and she does not want to waste the cooking... She eats it; All of it.
301's weight takes her from standard Korean skeleton build to a pudgy/chubby size. (the way i prefer them, personally lol). 301 finds out the angry husband is cheating and also hates her new weight, so she plans a revenge meal (more on this later). The husband realizes what she cooked and files for divorce; 301 slowly goes crazy.
The court rules that even though 301 is genuinely insane, she deserves compensation. So, the couple divorce but for some reason, the ex-husband has to pay her monthly as compensation.... WHY??
301 takes his money and rents apartment 301; She not only uses his money to rent the place, but also refurnishes the suite to a giant kitchen with a bed in front of the window.
--
Now for 302:
302 was severely raped as a child and her father is the culprit. Her father owned a butcher shop and pretty much only fed his family meat.
302's dad raped her every night after dinner and also sometimes after school. He would force her to eat the meat at dinner when she was feeling dirty and sick towards her father, because 302
wouldn't eat. 302 connected her rape with not just meat but food in general; She developed a disorder where she's suicidal and cannot eat solids. She lives by drinking nutrition drinks and water only.
302 is a writer. She hates food and she hates sex, but during the whole movie, she is writing a book called "The ideal sex" or something like that. Oh, and at the sight of food, 302 runs to the bathroom to puke, every time.
--
302 is extremely skinny; 301, the divorced girl who loves to cook, takes note. 301 wants to be friends, so she barges into 302 apartment and offers her food. 302 takes it, to be nice, but does not eat it.
When 301 leaves, 301 thinks she's being mocked. She firmly believes 302 is making fun of her chubby weight because 302 is an unholy amount of anorexic.
It is 301's goal to chubby-up 302 and thus begins the movie. 301 cooks a million and one dishes for 302, but she get's angry that 302 isn't gaining any what. like before, 302 accepts the dish but just throws it away after 301 leaves. The following day, 301 catches 302 leaving her apartment with a clear bag behind her back.. 301 being nosy, she grabs the bag and realizes it's her cooking.
This is where 301 becomes mental... like, full on mental.
301 grabs 302 by her arm and forces her back into her apartment. 301 shoves off 302's computer and papers from her desk and slams the trash bag onto the desk afterwards. She takes all the thrown-away food out of the back, lays it on the desk and tells 302 to "eat it."; 302 can't.
This makes 301 go into a rage and herself start eating the garbage food like an animal, in front of 302. 302 rushes to the bathroom and pukes her lights out, as usual; 301 leaves.
302 pukes so damn much, that she genuinely passes out HARD, nearly dying. But then again, 302 is suicidal and on multiple occasions tells 301 she wants to turn to dust.
301 finds 302 all puked up on her toilet, so 301 takes 302 into her apartment to care for her.
When 302 wakes up, 301 is cooking. 301 forces 302 to sit at the table and eat everything the cooks, which never happens.
301 tried a billion dishes until she finally gives up. When 301 gives up, all the background story comes into play.. the ladies become friends and both 301 and 302 discuss why they're so, pardon my French, f***ed up; All the stuff i explained above.
---
Why is this a horror movie?
Now that i've spoiled a good bit of the movie's information, let me explain why this movie is definitely not a comedy. I don't know who the hell thought this movie was funny.. it's actually morbid and sick to the point where it's really well written and entertaining, but severely gross and disturbing. This movie is actually really well made, in my opinion, but the definition of comedy is no where to be seen. This is a straight up horror/thrilling that will make you puke, if you have a weak stomach, and at some points, genuinely disturbed. -- There are a lot of great Korean comedy films; I don't know how the director could be completely 'over the head' to the definition of comedy. -- I mean hell, even the trailer of the movie (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eIiJksgwy0) seems light hearted and groovy. IT'S A LIE.
Key points:
- 301 cooks her husband's dog, Chong Chong, as the revenge meal.
When the husband comes home and takes a look in the pot on the stove, it's a f***ing dog being cooked. It shows a de-skinned dog with it's bones cooking in broth. God damn this made me feel awful.
- This movie explicitly reenacts rape scenes, multiple times. They're very detailed.
These rape scenes lead up to 302's mental issues.
- 302's father makes her chop up a little girl.
One of the 7 year old girls, who likes to play hide and seek with 302, get's brutally chopped up by 302 because her father does not want the body to be found. To preface this, basically after the final rape scene, 302 runs away and hides in the shop's freezer. The little girl and her mom go into the shop trying to buy some beef cuts. During this time, 302 sneaks out and the little girl, who likes playing hide and seek with 302, notices her. 302 escapes her dad but the little girl thinks they're playing a game. The dumbass little s**t decides to hide in the freezer which then fully locks and she cannot get out, nor can anyone hear her. - Later that night, the girls mom comes to the shop, since 302's family lives on the second floor, to see if the little girl has been seen. Of course, the family does not know but 302 might have a hunch... she sneaks down to the freezer only to find the little s**t frozen to death. - She scream and runs, i think..., and her father finds out. Her father makes her chop up the body as revenge for running away from his c**k. Earlier, 302 also shoved her father into a bookshelf, so he's also pissed about that...
- 301 cooks 302
Yup, this is how the movie ends. 302 does not want to live ANYMORE and understands 301 is an exquisite chef. All through the movie, 301 has been searching for something new to cook.. something fresh and delicious. 302, being suicidal, offers up her body. 301 obliges, stabs 302 to death and then puts her in a metal bath tub. 301 gruesomely chops up 302, cooks her slowly and then eats her.
- There are no jokes in this film
There is NOTHING light hearted or funny about this film, despite what the trailer tries to sell you. There are no jokes; This movies is, at all times, suspenseful and serious. There is nothing but mystery, pain, jealously and emotions throughout this whole flick. Zero jokes, Zero humor.
--
I think this movie is extremely interesting and entertaining, though sick and morbid. I do, if you love horror, recommend at least watching once; You must not have a weak stomach.
I'm not here to bash the movie at all, aside from it's official genre choice. I think LDDB should consider putting it under horror anyways...
Has anyone else seen this film? Let me know your thoughts about it..
Thanks list
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