It is true that the two main leads had their flaws - the commander had lost his purpose in life after traumatic experiences in Vietnam, and the main girl did a marriage of reason also after traumatic experiences from her past. Both are adults who didn't experience true love, and they are overwhelmed by their own feelings.
Overall I liked this movie, and I found that the actors played well.
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An (erotic) melodrama whose melodramatics were brilliantly captured
"Obsessed" is an erotic movie about a passionate affair in South Korea around 1969. It is a melodrama whose melodramatics were brilliantly captured - with a Song Seung-heon, who absorbs the drama in his particular passionate manner. What is new in that context, is how he is allowed to act almost shamelessly here.However, "Obsessed" is also an exciting KMovie as it touches on a not so well known chapter in recent South Korean history: the time of Vietnam War.
------------------------- SIDE NOTE: --- South Korea and the Vietnam War ---
It is always the USA that come to mind. But South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and the Philippines also fought in Vietnam. South Korea was the country most involved after the USA. Between 1964 and 1973, around 48.000 Korean soldiers were each year drafted into this war. They had all volunteered, not least because their monthly wages brought in almost twice as much as a normal annual salary would have at the time. However, the South Korean army has gained a dubious reputation with a few massacres (including among civilians) in this war - a chapter from the time of the military dictatorship that has not been fully processed by now. The KMovie gives at least some space/thinking to this aspect - in connection with the consequences of the post-traumatic disorders, including the protagonist.
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"Obsessed" conveys some impressions about those 1960s/70s. The already strictly authoritarian context of South Korean every day life becomes even more so during dictatorship at that time, let alone in military itself. Thus every spark of vitality is nipped in the bud by the stiff corset of an immaculate facade. With the affair, an erotic tension is built up that one is not used to from the KDrama orbit. For the protagonists, however, this tension opens up a forbidden, yet addictive space to breathe, love and feel alive - and this precious moment of feeling alive has more value for the distressed male protagonist than anything else - as he has already seen and brought way too much death into this world...
Provoking. Gloomy. Beautifully done.
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Anything but swallow
If you're looking for a movie that contains a lot of love and romance, this isn't for you. You only realize after watching this movie what you have actually witnessed, regardless of what you think about it when you press play. It is a movie that tackles a lot of psychological problems and it is often misinterpreted by viewers. What makes this movie so worthwhile is often overlooked. The movie really is touching, not in a romantic way, but it will definitely capture your sympathy. If you're here for the steamy scenes, there's better movies for that. The negative aspect comes with the lack of dialogs, as I would certainly have enjoyed more backstory to the characters. However, again, it isn't a movie that's there for the romance and relationship building. Definitely worth a try, it isn't your typical lovey-dovey storyline as I personally don't think there's love involved at all.Was this review helpful to you?
First, I want to say that the script has to be reviewed since:
- I personally didn't felt the love between the 2 main characters, instead it felt like 2 people feeling attracted between one another
- And the main title which Obsessed doesn't reflect in the movie, the obsession between the leads characters should have been more expressed in more complex scenes instead of sex scenes, if they wanted to only expressed it through sex scenes it should have been more intense with really strong emotions
- Plus, I didn't like the character's personalities; the man seems too weak behind his colonel costume and the women too innocent, but they're not child anymore, it's not about a pure love story in high school like we are used to see, these characters are married and are committing adultery so I would I've like them to be responsible and to assume their relationship.
In conclusion, I feel betrayed because the screenwriter wanted to tell the story of married people falling in love like 2 childs falling for the first time but it doesn't work together and their love story has been built too quick. So the movie is a mess and the mixing of all those defects makes it a clumsy movie.
Maybe the chemistry between the 2 characters was bad as well but I have to say that the directing was really good.
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Beautiful, emotional, sad and amazing!
OMG this was so emotional, so beautiful and sad like poetry !I rare have that much emotions after movie... and first time on MDL I feel angry about other peoples reviews.... how anyone can rate this movie so low and say "couldn't feel love"...
Main leads chemistry was crazy, male leads acting is sooo great you can feel how he can't breath from love, female lead was good too, her acting isn't on ML's level but it's understandable - she was young actress next to veteran actor.
Cinematography with music was so beautiful and harmonic, every scene was needed and good or great!
Main plot and screen time is romance and main leads (though movie is ML's point of view, more his story) but even few scenes without main leads was so well done to show society (not in very dark colors, how it is often with subject of infidelity but still with it's real bitterness) trough soldier's wives and how they discus events and people. I had expectations of more dark/tragic consequenses from society/outer world and was afraid of it, I've seen movies with infidelity especially not modern world and often it's so dark and cruel that after watching you have very hard/bed mood, and I was glad that this movie didn't dramatized too much. Also secondary characters are good, not too much bad or good, I mean to credit main leads or justify their actions (especially infidelity), often movies and tv shows make other characters too bad, so here wasn't that case. Overall every detail, every scene, character was exactly how it should be.
Mature context and sex scenes were also sooo beautiful, I can't remember sex shown as beautifully (I only had this feeling about western tv series "Outlander"), it was so open, shown full acts and still so esthetic... it was making love!
p.s. I'm rating story 9'5 because when I see "all 10" reviews I think it's not rational and trustworthy, though story hadn't weak parts, but always is chance of something better, so because I don't love rate every aspect with 10, story gets unfear 9'5 ))))
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not as interesting as I'd hoped
This isn't the best movie regarding adultery that I've seen but I can't decide if it's the worst. Probably is lol. But nevertheless, I watched it. The intimate scenes were great but the chemistry between the two leads is questionable. Perhaps they could have been a bit more passionate to make their feelings for each other more believable. The impression I got was that their relationship was more physical than anything. I guess that's why I didn't quite buy it when things got deeper. Ultimately this just wasn't as entertaining as I thought it would be. 5/10.Was this review helpful to you?
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This movie made my so gosh damn disgusted that I couldn't even finish it. The moment he saw her and had that "look", I just knew it was about to be hell. I don't know what I was expecting, but it sure in hell wasn't THAT.I literally feel sick to my stomach even writing this and remembering the parts I did watch. How. Literally how do you smile in a woman's face knowing you are fucking her husband? How do you look your husband in the face? How in the HELL do you go all out for another woman while trying for a baby with your wife? How do you keep living life like nothing is wrong when you are sleeping with another woman? I don't fucking understand cheating. It pisses me off to no ends. If you are THAT unhappy, then leave! Why in the hell do you get to ruin not just your life or the one you're cheating with, why must you ruin your S/O's life and make them miserable? Cheaters are fucking mental. I said what I said.
My heart breaks for his wife. Knowing she was doing all she could as a wife and doing all she could to have a baby. I'm angry FOR her.
Mind you, I'm speaking of the characters here. Not the actors. If a actor makes you love/hate/whatever then that just means they're doing an amazing job. So huge props to the actors. It's why they're the only things rated a 10.
But damn I couldn't even get into the actual storyline because the affair crap just chapped my ass and kept me beyond pissed off. I wanted to put my foot through the screen. lol
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A controversial subject that could have been written better
Where do I even start?Recently I decided to check out the old classics cos there is no ways am going to seat through queen of tears and all dramas coming up nowadays..So After being traumatized by Mr Sunshine's sad ending,I decided I need to cleanse my palate with a movie that is fluffy and giggly..Then I passed by TikTok,big mistake..someone was suggesting kdramas that you should watch alone..and Obsession was top of the list..I went in after reading all the reviews and the low resting but I didn't care.
This is my take in the whole saga:
The cinematography was perfect for this era,as an interior designer even the furniture met the mid century modern for that era..
The cast is ok, obviously the ML is popular so you wouldn't miss him, watching him in another 2014 movie with the Chinese actress who he dated.
So his presence was felt..even Uhm Tae Goo before he became famous had a role in there..
The FL on the other hand,I have nothing much to say than what other comments have said..let's just conclude that She stuck to the script and copied and pasted..The rest of the cast did their Jobs as directed.. nothing over the top.
Now to the controversial s*ex scenes..that many felt were graphics..yes they were and am an adult but it was rated for mature audience so I wasn't surprised the only problem is that the Director or the light people could have changed the ambience to make it less out there.. literally you could have seen the pubic hair if you zoomed closely.
Having watched 2 western movies of this trope..It would have been better to reduce the s*x scenes and the gossips and use that time to build the "love story" between the leads,am quoting it because under no circumstances I do not support cheating of any kind..I believe in two people who find themselves in the wrong relationship to go their separate ways especially when no children involved..
Nevertheless this can be made into a short drama of 6 episodes and the build up might make this a top watch..
They went from one night stand or should I say one car stand to "I love you" can't be without you..
Even a mosquito could see that was not love,it was just something different from the ass kissing husband of the FL and the radio wife of the ML.
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not always you can do a right choice
I think it was beautiful and melodramatic. Only when you live enough you can tell when true love appears and it doesn’t choose the right moment and fair solution. I loved this movie for this dramatic real perspective of the one in pain of love. so true to real life. People can easily judge the adultery it’s true it’s unfair when it’s plain. I can agree to the anger of betrayal of those who are left behind and are also being fooled. It’s cruel to others but I love the male lead showing his arose pain and shooting his heart.I appreciate the actors and story as well as a real life depicting. the big pain and suffering just as real life can bring. you can judge it yourself by watching of course but I think they did a great job, that at the end we empathize with the ML even if committing a sin. great acting for me and directing.
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Colonel Kim Jin Pyeong has settled into a quiet life after Vietnam. Despite PTSD and nightmares, he finds himself doing what he has to, to simply get through day-by-day. He carries an air of cold indifference wherever he goes, and whatever he does. Whether it's conversations with his wife, eating, sleeping, or shagging -- he's basically just existing. Until Jong Ga Heun moves in across the street, the wife of his subordinate. He realizes instantly that she is different from the other women that surround him on the base and in the residences. Calm, collected, cool; and oddly candid. It's a story about two people who are unhappy with the lives they are living, and how they try to find a way to manage the apathy.
I will admit, the lack of emotion between the two lead characters was stifling. I honestly never thought I'd see cardboard act with cardboard. However, after finishing, there was a moment when I teared up. I wasn't expecting it. If there was a way to put the acting in most of this film, it would be the words 'deadpan delivery'. Constantly. There is so little emotion from the two lead characters, and still even, a lack of chemistry, but perhaps that was intended. Since the characters seem to just be looking to escape their lives and themselves for a while. I wasn't drawn into the 'love story', but I suppose that's because it isn't a love story. The sets are nice, the lighting was well done, and the music is nothing to write home about. I suppose if I were, to sum up how I feel about this movie, the singular word would be: meh.
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I don't know why the most people doesn't like this movie. But in my opinion; I have been so excited to watch it. I think the love between the male main lead and the female main lead wasn't pure but it still a "love". We can judge the feelings of others only because we don't agree with there ways to express them. The 18+ scene; even it disgusting me a little; but still so hot and you can feel the love in those scene; it's so realistic. The ending is a tragedy for me; the male lead doesn't forget his love to the last second in his life though the female lead gave up on him and moved on with her life.Was this review helpful to you?
