“White Valentine” Japanese Theatrical Poster
Director: Yang Yun-Ho
Cast: Park Sin-Yang, Jeon Ji-Hyeon, Jeon Mu-Song, Kim Se-Jun, Kim Young-Ok, Yang Dong-Keun, Kang Jin-Wu, Jang Myeong-Cheol, Park Mi-Rae
Running Time: 89 min.
By Mighty Peking Man
Jung-min (Jeon Ji-Hyeon) is a young woman who drops out of school to pursue her love for “art,” a pastime she wants to make her career. She mysteriously lost her parents when she was very young, and now, lives and works for her grandfather who runs a small book store. When she’s not working, she spends her free time drawing birds and other sceneries at the park.
There’s one only thing she’s missing – a cure for her loneliness. You see, years earlier she was so desolated that she became pen pals with a man that was 10 years older than her. She developed a likeness to the guy so much that she lied about her age and told him she was a school teacher. When the man decided to visit her, she stood him up, only to change her mind the very last minute. By that time, it was too late. As a result, she had lost her pen pal, and her loneliness continued.
One day, while sitting in her bedroom, a pigeon comes flying through her window with a message attached to it…
You know what, screw this.
I’m not going waste my time writing about the plot. Instead, I’ll just attack the hell out of this film. It’s got nothing to do with the writers or the acting. It’s Yang Yun-Ho, the director of this film. He needs to open his eyes. He’s either: 1) Suffering from some type of serious eye stigmatism; 2) Has very bad taste in choosing a certain look for a film; or 3) He’s simply an idiot.
I’ll go for 3.
Look dude, you’re working with Jeon Ji-Hyeon. She’s a fine actress, the camera loves her face. I’d say that’s a damn good reason to film her a little closer, instead of filming her from 10 miles away. While you’re at it, do the same with everyone else.
These are actors and actresses you’re dealing with, not extras. I would have loved to see the expression on Jeon Ji-Hyeon’s face the first time that bird came flying in, but no, she was filmed so far away that all I saw from a distance was her body, her bed, her hamper, her clothes and her dog; I even saw the bakery outside where the two idiots were buying fresh bread.
After awhile, all these faraway shots made me seriously nauseous. I know I sound crude, but if you ever watch this film, you’ll realize how awful the camera work was. If the filmmaker had any common sense, White Valentine could have been a decent film.
Mighty Peking Man: 2/10
