Movie Review: Il Mare

 My introduction to the world of South Korean movies was when I watched the first half the movie “A wonderful nightmare” on the flight to London. The movie was about the soul of a dead career woman returning in the body of a house wife and it was just okay. But since I was feeling lonely in London where it becomes pitch dark by 7 pm, I indulged my curiosity on how the movie ends by looking it up on YouTube. Thus started my foray into the world of Korean movies and once I watched “Il Mare” (which is Italian for “The Sea”), I was hooked.

 ‘Il Mare’ is a story about a long distance relationship with a twist. It’s about time travel though the size of the item that can travel as well as the amount of time that can be traversed is pretty limited -  a time travelling mailbox that provides the link between a guy (Sung Hyun) living in 1998 and a girl (Eun Joo) living in 2000. The movie focuses on a plot point that is the staple for all Korean movies and dramas – all the angst and heartache that come from a romance that cannot be. It’s a typical story of two people falling for each other while they help each other deal with personal losses - getting over her ex-boyfriend and dealing with the death of his estranged father. Only, all the cheering needs to be done by mail as they can’t hold hands or have a shoulder to lean on. Our lead couple is quite innovative though and even manage to go on virtual dates. But at the end of their dates, they walk back alone and soon, it is just not enough.

What I loved about the movie is that it took me on a journey with the lead couple as they went from being incredulous about getting letters from the past/future (it takes them a good 7 – 8 days to respond to the initial letters) to being excited about having a pen pal living at a different time (trying their hand at instant messaging through mailbox) to sharing their emotions and helping each other get through their loneliness. It is not a passionate love story but a subtle romance that builds over time. Also, there are a lot of cute moments especially their interactions with the dog, Cola.

I loved that I could feel Eun Joo’s pain when Sung Hyun fails to make it to their rendezvous in 2000 after promising to be there in 2 years, come hell or high water. It’s like being stood up and dumped for reasons you don’t know and the other person doesn’t know either. I could also feel Sung Hyun’s desperation when he looks longingly at the past self of the girl he loves and she passes him by like he doesn’t exist. His helplessness at the behaviour of his future self and accepting that may be they are not meant to be is captured so beautifully that it broke my heart. The most moving scene for me though is the moment where Sung Hyun meets with an accident on his way to meet Eun Joo, right outside the cafe where she is sitting by the window. Staring death in the face, he extends his hand in her direction, reaching out to the most important person in his life and all she sees is a stranger involved in an unfortunate accident.

I read that there is a Hollywood adaptation of “Il Mare” called “The Lake house” starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves but after my sincere attempts to watch the whole movie (involving a lot of skipping forward), I must say that it doesn’t even come close to capturing the essence of the original. The Lake House tries to spell out everything for the audience whereas Il Mare just focuses on the state of mind of the leads and merely hints at the events happening around them. The only point where the adaptation was better was the way it ended (which I cannot elaborate on without spoilers) which if the original movie had used would have made it more rational with lesser impact on the time-space continuum and the heroine’s emotions at that point (or lack thereof) – but that’s just me being nit-picky. Also, that last scene in “Il mare” brought a smile to my face even when my brain was screaming, “Nooooo, don’t do that. Wait for one more year.”

This movie is like soft coffee cake and warm chocolate with very little sugar - something to be savoured on a quiet cold night alone.

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