Directed by: Kim Hyoung-jin (김형진)
Starring: Jung Woo-rim (정우림), Kang Shin-hyo (강신효), Kang Shin-chul (강신철), No Ji-yoo (노지유)
Wide Release: November 28th, 2019
The Film: 19 year old Ipse is has been bedridden from a mysterious illness for as far back as she can remember. With her parents deceased, she is cared for by local church officials and two social workers in particular who are abusive to her. One day, Ipse’s uncle who has just been released from prison after serving time for rape and murder shows up at the house out of the blue. The arrival of Ipse’s uncle changes the dynamics of the small habitat Ipse has been inhabiting for so many years in more ways than anyone could have ever imagined.
My eye was initially turned onto The Uncle after reading in the program book that the director, Kim Hyoung-jin, attributed his biggest influences to the films of Wong Kar-wai and Quentin Tarantino during his school days as a young man. While this might be the case for many filmmakers of this generation, it happens to be the right names to drop in order to attract this particular film fan’s interest. And while the tendency may be to imitate the aforementioned director’s work, Kim Hyoung-jin has managed to find his own very unique and distinct voice with his debut feature film The Uncle.
The film opens with a girl’s voice asking God to forgive her monstrous ways, and pleads for some kind of sign that he hears her request. The girl’s name is Ipse (Jung Woo-rim), she is 19 years old and has been bedridden since before she can remember. Her mysterious illness baffles local town residents and is pretty much considered a lost cause when it comes to rehabilitation. With both of her parents having passed away, she is assigned two social workers to look after her, Ja-young (No Ji-yoo) and Mr. Kim. And despite their soft and caring appearances, they are basically her tormentors as they either verbally abuse or touch her inappropriately. If that wasn’t enough, local boys from her village regularly shout names at her from outside her second story window and have been known to climb in at times. With all things considered, Ipse comes across as anything but the monster in this story, and more of a victim of the worst degree.
When Ipse’s uncle Gang-sik (Kang Shin-hyo) shows up out of the blue and decides to live in the house, the demented reality that Ipse experiences day in and day out gets turned on its head. Her uncle, a convicted rapist and murderer who has lost the power of speech, is now acting as her chief caretaker. With his long and scruffy hair, and sporting a purple stained tank top with ripped blue jeans and a chic scarf, this uncle looks something like a cross between a crazy homeless man and a high-fashion male super model… just the right amount of mystique to give to such an odd character wouldn’t you say?
And odd he is. Spending his days watching porn with the volume turned way up and cooking up large slabs of meat to eat don’t seem like the best way to break through to an invalid niece (Ipse), which he makes every attempt at doing. After a dispute arises between the social workers and Ipse’s uncle as to whether he is fit to live and sleep in the same house, they leave the decision to Ipse. For better or for worse and despite her uncle’s bizarre approach, he has an undeniable effect on Ipse that triggers a metamorphosis in her unlike anyone could have anticipated.
With the film’s opening images of various wildlife photography and documentary video images featuring different animal’s hunting tactics and mating rituals, The Uncle quickly establishes its central theme of predator vs. prey in the animal kingdom, and how human social structures resemble this relationship by establishing their own complex food-chains of sorts. Each of the characters in The Uncle fall somewhere along this spectrum and inhabit the unique environment of Ipse’s house where the entire film takes place. Unlike animals, however, the director gives the characters in The Uncle the power to shape their role and position within their respective hierarchy of power given the proper stimuli and care.
It is no accident that the main character in The Uncle is named Ipse. The name Ipse, in Korean, means leaf. And like the leaf of a flower requiring sunlight and water to grow and be healthy, Ipse has been unable prosper due to a severe lack of essential external factors such as love and security. And as her strange uncle begins to apply his very own unorthodox mixture of stimuli to Ipse, the hidden truth behind Ipse’s illness begins to grow clearer and clearer as she physically and spiritually blooms into healthy form.
The characters of The Uncle are extremely atypical and will defy your attempts at classifying them at every turn. There is an epic reversal of roles among them after a very hypnotic and symbolism heavy mid stretch of the film and the way in which these characters evolve is both drastic and unexpected. Where they ultimately end up within the “food chain” so to speak by the film’s end make for some character arcs like you’ve probably never seen before.
The first thirty minutes or so of The Uncle had me completely baffled as to what I was watching. Everything from the tone of the film, its editing, choice of music, and its unclassifiable characters had me unable to put my finger on any previous or familiar movie-going experience of any kind. This caused me to be absolutely entranced by the highly-symbolic storytelling of The Uncle as Ipse’s past and her relationship with her uncle slowly unfold. The film does wade into some extreme territory, especially by its final act, so be prepared for some uncomfortable and highly sensory experiences (the best kind if you ask me).
The Uncle is beautifully shot and wholly original in its approach to storytelling. Almost defying classification, there is little I can compare it to on the basis of making a recommendation. But if you like your films dark, twisted, and laced with a hint of sentimentality, The Uncle will be right up your alley. As just the first feature film from writer and director Kim Hyoung-jin, his artistry and vision are very well pronounced in The Uncle, giving us film lovers a lot to look forward to from this very promising new talent. As one of my favorite films from the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival this year, I highly recommend you check this one out! – 8/10
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