Heavy story suffers from director's too-light touch

Hoon (Hyeon Bin) and Anna (Tang Wei) in a scene from 'Late Autumn - 2010'. Provided by CJ Entertainment

Jainnie's CINE korea

Director Kim Tae-yong's "Late Autumn - 2010", the much-hyped remake of a now-lost 1966 Korean melodrama, is, in its essence, a love story.

As the movie's gray, foggy Seattle backdrop foretells, however, the lovers don't get to enjoy a feel-good, Hollywood rom-com scenario. There are no cute declarations of love. Nobody gets saved, or discovers their "true self" to the strains of an aptly placed song.

Instead, two misfits meet at the brink of their own hopelessness, after the milk has been spilt and there is no way out of the misery that is their lives.

Anna (Tang Wei) is a Chinese immigrant in the United States doing jail time for killing her abusive husband. Seven years into her nine-year prison term, she gets a three-day parole to attend her mother's funeral. On her way there, she meets Hoon (Hyeon Bin), a young Korean gigolo who charms his way into the hearts of rich older ladies in order to make money.

For a long time, a withdrawn Anna dismisses Hoon's efforts to chat her up. She's more interested in staring out bus windows and looking at the scenery as if she's seeing signboards and lights for the first time in her life. And when she drinks a takeout coffee, she holds the cup with relish, as if it were her last.

Nevertheless, Hoon is persistent and manages to win her over with his bubbly, amicable nature. Despite his outgoing personality, it is ultimately his sense of loss that Anna identifies with. The two can't help but express their desire for one another, even though they both know this won't do them any good, or make any difference in changing their lives.

Even with this heavy storyline, the director's take on the lovers' story feels light. Instead of delving deeper into the broken psyches of the two characters, Kim treads on the surface, making a pretty yet underwhelming music video of the story instead. One scene in an amusement park, in which Anna and Hoon mimic the dialogue between a couple they see from far away, feels as if it doesn't even belong in the story, as the acting is too animated and the tone of the dialogue is suddenly upbeat. The imaginary ballet sequence following this scene, although technically artful, seems equally pointless, because its sudden dive into the fantasy realm feels out of place.

The movie, however, is ultimately saved by the talent and presence of Tang Wei, whose acting serves as a sturdy rock. She makes all the otherwise ill-connected and somewhat fragmented scenes and dialogue converge into an emotional love story.

"Late Autumn - 2010"

Drama / English, Chinese, Korean

115 min.

Now playing

By Cho Jae-eun