HONG KONG -- Contrary to what the title indicates, The Peter Pan Formula is a coming-of-age drama about a young man forced into adulthood by his mother's absence. For Korean cinema, this isn't the usual fare, but the film could be a sleeper hit on the festival circuit precisely because of its lack of hoary coming-of-age conventions and safer subject matter.
Korean audiences are likely to be unimpressed by first-time director Cho Chang-ho's picture of Korean families and society. The super-straight delivery by the actors and offbeat narrative should keep audiences at home away in droves. However, the low-key, deadpan bizarreness of Hansoo's tale should work on the festival circuit. Director Cho shows a steady hand and a good eye.
In a sleepy Korean seaside town, Hansoo (On Ju-wan) trains as a swimmer while he battles apathy. When his mother is hospitalized after a suicide attempt, he drops out of school and off the team to deal with it. This involves bathing his mother and robbing convenience stores to keep up with mounting expenses, chiefly medical bills. While this is happening, Hansoo's burgeoning sexuality comes to the fore: He develops an obsession with his married neighbor In-hee (Kim Ho-jung) and an odd romance with her "sick" daughter Min-ji Park Min-ji). If that weren't enough, Hansoo's sort-of friend Mi-jin (Ok Ji-young), whose own invalid mother is sharing a hospital room with Hansoo's, is an advocate of both sexual favors and euthanasia.
The film's strongest elements are its performances, particularly from On and Kim, and the low-key scenes of the early development of Hansoo's character. Watching him quietly navigate his new environment, the adult world, on his own is a treat. On's blank countenance doesn't come across as merely blank: The young actor gives Hansoo a personality that's simultaneously perplexed, angry and beyond caring.
Kim (Woman is the Future of Man, the underrated Nabi) is a strong presence, and she makes what could simply be a foil a complete character; guarded, nurturing, lonely. Neither she nor Cho falls into fetish territory (older woman, teenage boy) that they could have. Instead Hansoo and In-hee have a strangely touching relationship, even if it is one that began when a pair of In-hee's underwear blew into Hansoo's yard.
Peter Pan loses its way in the last half hour, and boasts a rather sprawling closing segment dealing with Hansoo's disappointing encounter with his birth father that feels tacked-on. Cho's feature debut, which would have been better served with a touch more focus and a leaner story, nonetheless marks him as a director to watch.
THE PETER PAN FORMULA
LJ Film
Credits:
Director: Cho Chang-ho
Writer: Cho Chang-ho
Producer: Im Chung-geun, Bae Jung-min
Executive producer: Lee Seung-jae
Director of photography: Kim Yong-chul
Production designer: Kim Hye-jin
Music: Kim Myung-jong
Editor: Kim Hyung-joo.
Cast: Hansoo: On Ju-wan
In-hee: Kim Ho-jung
Mi-jin: Ok Ji-young
Min-ji: Park Min-ji
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 110 minutes...
Korean audiences are likely to be unimpressed by first-time director Cho Chang-ho's picture of Korean families and society. The super-straight delivery by the actors and offbeat narrative should keep audiences at home away in droves. However, the low-key, deadpan bizarreness of Hansoo's tale should work on the festival circuit. Director Cho shows a steady hand and a good eye.
In a sleepy Korean seaside town, Hansoo (On Ju-wan) trains as a swimmer while he battles apathy. When his mother is hospitalized after a suicide attempt, he drops out of school and off the team to deal with it. This involves bathing his mother and robbing convenience stores to keep up with mounting expenses, chiefly medical bills. While this is happening, Hansoo's burgeoning sexuality comes to the fore: He develops an obsession with his married neighbor In-hee (Kim Ho-jung) and an odd romance with her "sick" daughter Min-ji Park Min-ji). If that weren't enough, Hansoo's sort-of friend Mi-jin (Ok Ji-young), whose own invalid mother is sharing a hospital room with Hansoo's, is an advocate of both sexual favors and euthanasia.
The film's strongest elements are its performances, particularly from On and Kim, and the low-key scenes of the early development of Hansoo's character. Watching him quietly navigate his new environment, the adult world, on his own is a treat. On's blank countenance doesn't come across as merely blank: The young actor gives Hansoo a personality that's simultaneously perplexed, angry and beyond caring.
Kim (Woman is the Future of Man, the underrated Nabi) is a strong presence, and she makes what could simply be a foil a complete character; guarded, nurturing, lonely. Neither she nor Cho falls into fetish territory (older woman, teenage boy) that they could have. Instead Hansoo and In-hee have a strangely touching relationship, even if it is one that began when a pair of In-hee's underwear blew into Hansoo's yard.
Peter Pan loses its way in the last half hour, and boasts a rather sprawling closing segment dealing with Hansoo's disappointing encounter with his birth father that feels tacked-on. Cho's feature debut, which would have been better served with a touch more focus and a leaner story, nonetheless marks him as a director to watch.
THE PETER PAN FORMULA
LJ Film
Credits:
Director: Cho Chang-ho
Writer: Cho Chang-ho
Producer: Im Chung-geun, Bae Jung-min
Executive producer: Lee Seung-jae
Director of photography: Kim Yong-chul
Production designer: Kim Hye-jin
Music: Kim Myung-jong
Editor: Kim Hyung-joo.
Cast: Hansoo: On Ju-wan
In-hee: Kim Ho-jung
Mi-jin: Ok Ji-young
Min-ji: Park Min-ji
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 110 minutes...
- 6/22/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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