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1997(1st) ~ 2024(28th)
Off the Fantastic
CAO Baoping
China2008 96 min 35mm C Korean Premiere
This film lures viewers into a cobweb of chaos, a work of continued coincidences. Two passengers — obviously very busy folks — get into the cab Li Mi drives. Approaching their destination, they don’t bother with the change. Instead, they take with them a magazine sitting in the cab, as they hurriedly get out of the cab. Then, they meet with a man on a bridge. That man suddenly jumps off the bridge, falling onto a vehicle occupied by a couple. The man driving the vehicle must be the person whose picture fills the magazine that is stolen from Li Mi. Soon, she picks up the same men for the second time, who threaten her for money. Now, audiences must think “What a hardcore mystery thriller!” But they are about to be surprised because unpredictability is what makes this movie so interesting. Li Mi, for one, is obsessed with her ex-boyfriend who, despite walking out of her life four years ago, keeps sending her letters. By placing her love story inside a seemingly irrelevant mystery structure, the director has turned this one into a one-of-a-kind love story. XUN Zhou, who plays Li Mi, is another intoxicating element behind the charm of this film. It is the actress who imbues the über-anxious character with vivid beauty and lively persona. (HONG Sung Nam)
Graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 1989, and spent most of the 1990s teaching screen writing at his alma mater. After directing several TV films, he made his theatrical debut with the Trouble Maker and premiered at 2006 Shanghai International Film Festival.