What It Is: A very strange yet beautiful coming-of-age story.Why I Watched It: Every once in a while, a movie arrives from Netflix and I don't have the slightest idea why I queued it.
What I Thought: Although the story was masterfully told, I can't shake the feeling that some important element was missing from the film.
The movie is very simple. A fishing boat captain uses his bow to scare passengers away from his young female ward. The old man isn't entirely wholesome of course, he plans on marrying her when she turns 17. The young girl has no problem with this until a handsome boy books a fishing trip and she falls for him. Does the old man stick with his plan or let the young girl live her own life? The answer may surprise you.
Like a Zen koan, the film's simplicity is its beauty. The Bow is Korean minimalist storytelling at its finest. The entire movie takes place on the boat. The cast consists of only 3 notable characters with only another 10 or so for color. Best of all though, the young girl and the old man never speak. Their entire emotional story is told through expression, action, and music. The Bow doesn't bog down with unnecessary dialogue because sometimes a story is simply more effective without out.
The Bow is a powerful poem of a film the culminates with an extremely bizarre, unexpected, yet equally beautiful ending. The Bow was really good, but I can't help but think that a less bizarre ending would have topped of the story better.
Highlights: Silent yet powerful performances from the leads, beautiful backdrops, an intriguing divination ritual, and an ending rife with conversation fodder.
Who Should See It: Artsy types, romantics, and fans of bizarre Asian cinema.
How Soon: No rush.
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