Il Mare

Director: Lee Hyun-Seung

Cast:
Lee Jung-Jae as Han Sung-Hyun (The Affair, The Interview)
Jun Ji-Hyun as Kim Eun-ju (My Sassy Girl)

This was my first Korean movie, actually the first Korean material that I’ve seen, and since then, I have been captivated. I have seen the movie on TV, bought the VCD and have already watched it more than 3 times. I have also managed to locate a copy of the beautiful OST recently. If this is not sufficient to illustrate my obsession with this movie, I am attempting to write a review for this movie 2 years after I have seen it so that I can share this passion with others (with the OST playing the background).

Synopsis:

Eun-ju is moving out of her seafront apartment named “Il Mare”, which means "the sea" in Italian. She leaves a Christmas card for the next tenant. In the card she wishes the new tenant Merry Christmas, welcoming him/her to Il Mare. Eun-ju has another reason for leaving the Christmas card: she is expecting an important letter, and leaves her new address so that the new tenant can re-direct her mail. At the end of the card she signs her name, and dates the card 1999.

Sung-Hyun moves into an empty house, he lays a block to spray the name of the house that he has just called home “Il Mare”. He discovers the card that Eun-ju has left behind, and is confused by the letter as he is currently in 1997. He writes back to Eun-ju, politely suggesting that she may have made a mistake as he is the first tenant of Il Mare, and he is unable to assist her in her request, and dates the letter 1997.

After further correspondence, both Eun-ju and Sung-Hyun realize that they are corresponding on same dates but over 2 different time dimensions, aided by the magical mailbox. And both embark on an amazing journey together.

Sung-Hyun is an architecture undergraduate dropout, punishing himself with self-exile because of a failed relationship with his father. While working as a construction worker by day, he holes up in Il Mare during the night. Eun-ju is a voice-over artist for children shows, and is trying to come to grips with a failed relationship. 2 lonely souls, connected via Il Mare, and the magical mailbox start corresponding and find solace in each other’s letters.

Unlike many movies that feature such themes, where the leads either never meet or meet at the end, Sung-Hyun is able to catch a glimpse of how Eun-ju looks like in 1997 as the time difference is only 2 years and with Eun-ju diligently keeping a dairy, However, Sung-Hyun is just a stranger to the Eun-ju of 1997.

When both decide that it is time to meet at the same time dimension, it will have meant a fruition of their relationship. However, Sung-Hyun did not show up on the agreed date, and both are puzzled why he missed the appointment, and started to wonder what happened to Sung-Hyun during those 2 years.

And then, Eun-ju bumps into her ex-fiancé. All the emotions she felt for him resurfaced as painful memories of the times together flood her entire brain. And in a desperate attempt to get her ex-fiancé back, she writes to Sung-Hyun to help her. Devastated by Eun-ju’s request, Sung-Hyun is thrown back into the darkness that he left. He has fallen in love with Eun-ju, and her letters and encouragement have lifted him. After struggling for a while, seeing Eun-ju’s happy relationship with her ex-fiancé in 1998, and realising that his relationship with Eun-ju’s will never be, Sung-Hyun decides to help her.

Sung-Hyun writes his last letter to Eun-ju, agreeing to help. He thanks Eun-ju for coming into his life, and bids his final farewell in the letter.

On the day in 1998 that Sung-Hyun is supposed to help Eun-ju to stop her ex-fiancé from leaving, Eun-ju in 2000 finds out that Sung-Hyun actually died in a car accident on his way to help her. Overwhelmed by the thought that Sung-Hyun died for her, Eun-ju rushes to Il Mare to stop Sung-Hyun. She leaves her last letter in the mailbox, kneels and prays that Sung-Hyun receives the letter……

Review:

The storyline was original for a well-used theme. The setting was breathtaking, especially the foggy scenes of the house built in the sea. The haunting and beautiful soundtrack completes the worlds of the two leads and tenants of Il Mare. The director made excellent use of the scenery and music to leave a lasting impression of the lonely house Il Mare on the sea.

The initial pace was slow, and a little confusing when the leads were trying to figure out that they were from 2 different time dimensions. It was brilliant how the director portrayed the leads’ loneliness with them eating alone on New Year’s Eve, cooking for one, and using the same technique, connected their relationship with the Pirate Boat ride, a walk in the park, and sharing a bottle of wine.

It was also magical how Sung-Hyun found Eun-ju’s MD player, and leaving his voice in the player. And in turn, Eun-ju gave Sung-Hyun an ear-muffler and a fish as a reciprocating gift. The story centred mostly around the 2 leads and did not spend too much time exploring the sub-plots, e.g. Sung-Hyun’s relationship with his father, and Eun-ju’s break-up. Knowing someone from the future and never asking about it seemed unrealistic; Sung-Hyun never asked about the future, except about his father. But these minor flaws that did not make the movie inadequate in any way.

When Sung-Hyun did not appear at their agreed date of meeting, and seeing the metaphor of the gloves floating away, the audience is immediately given a hint to what happened to Sung-Hyun. The movie started to shift the audience’s attention from the leads’ relationship to wondering whether they will ever meet.

The story starts to unfold and ultimately lead the audience to the climatic end of the movie. If the director had ended the movie with Eun-ju sobbing at the mailbox, praying that Sung-Hyun would receive her letter, it would complete the story, with an ending befitting to the entire mood and atmosphere build up during the movie. As the screen blacked out, I really thought that was the end, and I was sobbing with the female lead, regretting and grieving with her the loss of Sung-Hyun. I was pleasantly surprised (I love happy endings) with the eventual ending; but if I had left the cinema with the sad ending, it would have intensified the emotions brought about by the movie, instead of a light “sigh” of relief seeing Sung-Hyun holding Eun-ju’s letter in another time dimension.

Lee Jung-jae was outstanding as the lonely Sung-Hyun. His melancholic portrayal of the male lead in self-exile was really well done. He was able to execute Sung-Hyun’s happiness in finding Eun-ju to share his lonely life. Jun Ji-Hyun was a little limited in her expressions, but her lovelorn look fits the character, and it was a complete contrast to her wacky character in “My Sassy Girl”.

I give this a 5 star as I continue to be touched by it after 2 years, and am still yearning to have my very own little house by the sea.