If You Were Me is a collection of short films, each telling its own story and delivering its own message. I must admit that I generally dislike films of this sort; I prefer it when it's one long film with the same story. If You Were Me did have its ups and downs. Some stories were exceptionally rewarding, while others felt lacking, in both plot and spirit. I'd say the first two and the last were my favorites. Another problem was that most stories suffered from parts that were painfully slow for no apparent reason. It felt like If You Were Me is a film that tries to make you think, but will be forgotten rather quickly by most. In conclusion it's a good film, but not entirely satisfactory.
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Arangalad11 June 2004
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trinityblue312 August 2005since i live in Korea, i was able to see this movie in both a Korean view and also through the eyes of a foreigner.
basically, i think this is a rather cynical view of Korean society. therefore it would not be a good idea for people outside of Korea to base their impressions of Korea only on this movie. it's like a commentary by the people who have criticism on certain aspects of the society here.
some stories are obviously better than others. it's a shame because the less better ones seem to bring down the overall rating.
this movie would not be recommended to people who are looking for a simple escape or entertainment. however, i'm sure many people will find plenty of things to ruminate about. -
pethr7 June 2005Very disturbing collection of 6 short movies which are meant to be seen together. I found this movie to be more of a (fictional) social documentary than a comedy and drama as it is tagged. When non-Korean watches this movie it is all about compliance with western system of human rights standards. The question is whether Korea should comply with western values. On the other side it seems that many values are imported from Euro-American culture (such as the ideal of beauty and importance of low weight).
A quick google research shows that Korea is trying to make progress in becoming more open and tolerant society. This movie is obviously part of this movement (as it was made on request of Korean Human Rights Commission). Let's hope that this very modern country will make progress in accepting more equality and less cruel system of social control.
If you were me isn't perfect (some shorts are below average) but it's definitely worth watching. -
refresh_daemon2 January 2008This omnibus film, sponsored by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, featured six short films covering the theme of "prejudice" or "discrimination". Like its successor, this allows for a broad range of films, from straightforward examinations via linear narrative, to science fiction, hybrid documentary/fiction and so on. Each of these contextualizes a societal issue in South Corea that deals with the theme. Although it's a rather uneven work when taken in as a whole, overall, it's still commendable for both the issues that the shorts confront as well as the means they go about confronting them.
The opening film, "The Weight of Her", is a very straightforward work set in an all-girl's school. It's protagonist is an overweight young woman who has to confront the regular societal pressures not only to be thin, but also the pressures to be beautiful (as defined by the culture) and ladylike. We follow the protagonist as she struggles with herself and her situation of being genetically disfavored by society. There's a bit of a twist at the end, but not one that necessarily makes you feel any better about the plight of women in South Corea. A solid above average narrative work.
The second film is the most curious of them all. "The Man with the Affair" deals with a complex, troublesome and shunned element of society in its titular character. What makes it curious is that the story actually focuses around a young boy, but even more so, it's set in a dystopian future. I was particularly impressed with the weight of oppression that the setting brings, but the story itself doesn't really let us into the subject and instead we are more engrossed in the plight of the protagonist, which has an element relating to the theme itself, but the distance from part of the core of the film creates enough friction to make this an admirable, but flawed effort.
The third film, "Crossing" encounters a man with what appears to be cerebral palsy. What's striking about this piece is that the actors are all clearly people who actually have the conditions that their characters portray. Otherwise, the piece is a non-linear work, much like a visual journal and while it does connect with the theme, it's more about humanizing the protagonist to us. Unfortunately, the story doesn't fully tie together and so the piece is left uneven, with good acting and characterization, but a bit of an aimless story that does conclude, but, not being so reflexive or existentialist, it's story doesn't really strike in any way. Nonetheless, it's remarkable for the positive points mentioned above.
The fourth film, "Tongue Tie" is a story about a child and the problem that his parents perceive him to have. It's a rather shocking piece and one that I can't necessarily recommend just because not everyone can handle it. But it does an immense job of raising questions when it's over, especially about the parent/child relationship as well as the pressures facing children in the cutthroat competitive workforce that they face even decades in their futures. It's not for everyone, but has a surprising amount of merit when it's all said and done.
The fifth film, "Face Value" is also a very interesting tale that centers on a man who wakes up in a parking garage after a night of heavy drinking. It deals with his encounter with an attractive garage attendant and straightforwardly breaks class and gender prejudices. There is a bit of a twist at the end that turns this story into something else, but I had a hard time trying to figure out why it was necessary. The piece has good characterization, decent acting and interesting dialog, but doesn't necessarily bring it beyond a modest work.
The final film, "NEPAL (Never Ending Love And Peace)", is a stylish dramatized documentary that centers around a Nepali immigrant to Corea and the problems she faces after an incident leaves her having to confront the government with her limited language skills. As it is based on actual events, what happens is quite surprising and the film overall remains gripping as we root for the protagonist, despite the frustrating madness that she has to endure. I thought that this piece had the best sense of closure and ranks among the more potent of this batch.
Almost all of the directors featured have at least one film that I love, so it was quite interesting to see some of their approaches to the task set before them. Overall, I have to admit that while this is a good work, the segments are of varying cohesiveness and successfulness. Nevertheless, each attempt has something valuable about it. It's a good work and merits viewing, with caveats as mentioned above. 7/10. -
kyletrail8 December 2005I could not find this for sale anywhere on the web, so I ended up downloading it and watching it on my PSP.
It's really a neat collection of 6 films from Korean directors (yes, including Chan Wook Park).
I know another review here claimed that all films are about Human Rights, and that's true for the most part, but not all of them. I see them more as six narratives (even though Park's piece could be considered a documentary as well as a the "Tongue Tied" piece) that span the various types of people and situations in Korea currently.
I would highly suggest you see this if you can. Good luck too as it's extremely difficult to find. -
maparam12 March 2005The movie contains 6 stories directed by 6 directors.
What stories??
About Human rights..
In Korea, traditionally, weak and handicapped people's rights are ignored by normal people. But recently mind of the Korean is change.
'National Human Rights Commission of Korea' That organization support this movie for a publicity campaign of human rights.
So.. It's boring movies?
No... No... It's good movie.
The Six directors achieve not only a publicity campaign but artistic fruits. The stories are very ordinary but I didn't give attention. So it's more dramatic. I reminded my acts to other people after seeing the movie.
You will do so.
See it, You aren't disappointed.