What it’s about
Mute renegade Tae-suk (Song) has an odd habit of breaking into middle-class suburban homes while the residents are on vacation. He bathes, sleeps, cooks, watches TV, arranges the furniture, and then erases all signs of his visit before leaving. But when Tae-suk witnesses the battering of a beautiful model, Sun-hwa (Lee), by her wealthy older husband (Gweon Hyeok-ho), he lashes out with a golf club, setting in motion a most unusual romance.
Why we love it
Thisstrangely compelling, almost wordless romantic drama by Korean provocateur Kim Ki-duk (“Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring”) puts an odd twist on class resentment, slowly resolving the tension between its three protagonists with a highly inventive, almost mystical surprise ending. Without giving too much away, suffice it to say the plot concerns a murder case as well as a lovers-on-the-run scenario, with the extended golf metaphor speaking volumes about social division. For a clever, atmospheric love story, play a few rounds with “3-Iron.”
Lee Hyun-kyun, Jae Hee Song Kim Ki-duk