"Sister, did you know? I thought the trees were standing straight, but they're balancing on their hands."
Synopsis:
Yeong-hye (Chae Min-seo) lies frail, malnourished and seemingly close to death in a hospital bed, as her sister, Ji-hye (Kim Yeo-Jin), tries, in vain, to feed her. Taken back to an earlier point in time, we learn that Yeong-hye has been having recurring dreams (or, more accurately, nightmares) which have resulted in a growing repulsion for meat, with her finding even its smell disgusting and utterly unbearable. Though she initially turns to vegetarianism, Yeong-hye eats less and less over time and, as her weight plummets, Ji-hye's artist husband, Min-ho (Kim Hyun-Sung), tries to help her (and her fragile, fracturing state of mind) by convincing her to be a model for his forthcoming exhibition of body-painted nudes. Inevitably growing ever closer to Yeong-hye as he paints flowers on her naked body, Min-ho's caring feelings are soon infused with both lust and need, but as their liaisons become increasingly sexually charged, Yeong-hye decides to stop eating altogether...
Review:
With its story of mental illness, eating disorders, love, sex and betrayal, you can take it as read that Vegetarian is a dark, and at times even bleak, affair. However, first-time director Lim Woo-seong wisely avoids any melodramatic swayings and, by placing Yeong-hye's perspective centre stage for the majority of the film, ensures that proceedings are largely gripping, rather than simply depressing.
Though Yeong-hye's feelings move from anger to confusion, to desperationa (and finally acceptance), the one thing she never feels is self-pity. Instead, her yearning for understanding (both from those around her and of herself) underlies almost every scene in which she appears and, combined with the anxieties and heartbreak present being largely confined to supporting characters, the sadder elements of Vegetarian are never over-emphasised or over-played within the narrative.
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As a by-product of this desperate need within Yeong-hye, along with her growing mental issues and her family's insistence on trying to force her to be like everyone else for her own good, Vegetarian is often (deliberately) uncomfortable viewing, and with the gradual changes in Yeong-hye's mental state subtly creeping into play over virtually the entirety of the film's running time, the slow pace of the plot will certainly not be to everyone's taste, but those who appreciate brooding drama which eats away (so to speak) at the characters, rather than tearing them asunder, will almost undoubtedly find this to be one of the film's strong points.
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The one area of Vegetarian which is noticeably weaker by comparison is the sub-plot of Min-ho, his exhibition and his growing relationship with Yeong-hye:
Min-ho is an artist suffering from a complete mental and creative block, causing him to feel that he has no option but to cancel his forthcoming exhibition. However, from almost the very moment that Ji-hye asks him to speak to Yeong-hye about her eating habits (or lack thereof) he, virtually unconsciously, begins to make sketches of a nude female body covered in flowers, and since Yeong-hye is clearly his muse and inspiration, it soon begins to dawn on him that if he can convince her to model for him, he'll be able to help her at the same time as helping himself. The ensuing scenes are both graphic and visually explicit but, though they do bring a further degree of discomfort (as Yeong-hye continues to lose weight throughout), and raise a vague question as to the ethics of Min-ho's actions, a perfect opportunity to raise the question of how much his needs are self-serving as opposed to altruistic, and whether his lust-driven choices are simply him taking advantage of an innocent individual who lacks the mentally stability to tell right from wrong, is sadly missed.
While Yeong-hye and Min-ho's sub-plot does end in an explosive way which works well within the overall tale, it is rather more predictable than it could have been, and many viewers will have seen flags to its approach peppered through earlier scenes.
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It must also be said that though repeated references are still made to Yeong-hye's problems throughout this section, it is majorly different in feel to the main plotline, and, unfortunately, never quite manages to fully blend with the main story arc.
The conclusion of the film, thankfully, steps back to the original focus, pace and feel, and while no hard and fast answers are ultimately given, or definitive full-stops put in place, by the time the credits roll the title 'Vegetarian' has been utterly redefined.
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Summary:
A dark, and at times even bleak, story of mental illness, eating disorders, love, sex and betrayal, Vegetarian will give those who appreciate brooding drama something to really chew over.
Cast:
Without question, Vegetarian is Chae Min-Seo’s film from start to finish. Her performance as Yeong-hye is utterly perfect throughout and she, quite simply, owns every scene in which she appears. Chae Min-seo lost 18 lbs (around 8kgs) over a period of 4 weeks prior to shooting in preparation for the role - her being noticeably underweight adding a further level of believability to, and empathy for, her troubled character. That said, even if she had lost no weight whatsoever, her portrayal of Yeong-hye is so good that it would have be almost as effective anyway.
The rest of the cast give accomplished performances throughout, but none can hold a candle to Chae Min-seo’s portrayal and, with the focus largely focusing on Yeong-hye and her disintegrating mental state for the majority of the time, there really isn’t a lot of scope within the script for their performances to be anything more than supporting cast portrayals.
Cast
Roles (Actor - Character):
Chae Min-Seo - Yeong-hye
Kim Hyun-Sung - Min-ho
Kim Yeo-Jin - Ji-hye
Director: Lim Woo-seong
DVD:
The DVD used for this review is the Korean, Region 3, release from Buzz Pictures which has an anamorphic transfer presented with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The picture is clear throughout and is free of ghosting and image artifacts.
The sound is provided as a choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0, both of which are crisp and and clean and compliment the nuances of the soundtrack well.
Excellent subtitles are provided
throughout the main feature but English-speaking viewers should note that, as with many Korean DVD releases, there are no subtitles available on any of the extras.
DVD Details:
Actors: Chae Min-Seo, Kim Hyun-Sung, Kim Yeo-Jin
Directors: Lim Woo-seong
Format: Anamorphic, Colour, PAL, Subtitled, Widescreen
Region: Region 3
Number of discs: 1
Classification: Category III (Korean Film Classification
Studio: Buzz Pictures
Run Time: 113 mins (approx.)
DVD Special Features:
• Dolby Digital Korean 2.0 & 5.1 • English Subtitles • Trailer Gallery
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