Oldboy Review

Oldboy, the heartbreaking love story

I don’t like disgusting movies. In fact, I hate those. Even when “Oldboy” was one of the must-be-watched movies couple of years ago in Korea, I was literally apathetic. Incest, vengeance, and murder, these unfamiliar and unfavorable topics of this film made me just frowning toward the poster of it. Years later, I found myself as an enthusiastic fan of the film. The heartbreaking love story, hidden behind the mutual bloody vengeance, was unexpectedly impressive enough to attract me.
Oh Dae-su, kidnapped by an unknown person in one rainy day and imprisoned with an unknown reason for 15 years, was definitely ready for his revenge when he was released from the prison. All he wanted to know was why on earth and by whom he was imprisoned, neither where his little daughter would be, nor who killed his wife. After 15 years of imprisonment, he was not Oh Dae-su anymore. He was just a monster eager to retaliate for his years in prison by blood.
Mi-do was the one who helped him to find "the real Oh Dae-su" inside the monster, by love. Getting to know her more and getting to love her, Oh Dae-su finally kneeled down before Woo-jin, who imprisoned him. As a father of, and as a lover of Mi-do, Dae-su begged of Woo-jin not to let her know the truth, cutting his own tongue. Dae-su's 15-year-old plan for revenge was nothing compared to his love.

Woo-jin, who had lost his love because of Dae-su's tongue, followed his sister by committing suicide in the elevator. His revenge on Dae-su might be a way of showing his resentment toward the whole society. Even though he chose a cruel way of revenge, he was a scapegoat of the society which doesn't accept the taboo of love between siblings. When Dae-su cut his tongue in front of him, Woo-jin realized that Dae-su loved Mi-do as much as he loved his sister, Soo-ah. Reminiscing of the moment his sister chose to give up her life, and missing her, he gave up his life too.

Under the dreadfully repeated background music and dark screen, Park Chan-wook hid two sad love stories, both considered as taboos in our society. His unique way of approaching to love with those sensational topics such as bloody vengeance, incest and suicide proved the reason of Oldboy’s glaring success in the international film festivals. Oldboy, a heartbreaking love story disguised as a revenge story, will be remembered in my mind as the most shocking but beautiful Korean film.