Starring
Cho Jin-woong, Shin Goo, Kim Dae-myung, Song Young-chang, Lee
Chung-ah, Yoon Se-ah. Directed by Lee Soo-yeon. (2017, 117 min).
Did
I miss something while watching Bluebeard?
I
could see what they were trying to do by giving us a main character
we don't entirely trust, making us question whether or not
what he's experiencing is real. Cho Jin-woong plays Byun,
a troubled doctor who's estranged from his ex-wife and living alone in a
cluttered, tiny apartment. Once the owner of a clinic which went
bankrupt, he now performs colonoscopies in a crime-ridden part of
town to make ends meet. There's also a serial killer on the loose,
and one of the dismembered victims has recently been discovered in a
nearby river.
As
a favor to his landlord, Jung Sung-geun (Kim Dae-myung), Byun examines
his father (Shin Goo). But while sedated, the old man describes gruesome details of one of the murders. Though he befriends Jung, Byun begins to suspect the Sung-geun family (who also
own a butcher shop in the same building) are the serial killers
everyone is looking for, especially after he spots what looks like a
human head in their meat locker. That same head pops up in his own
freezer, then disappears the next day. Later, his ex-wife disappears
right after a recent visit, prompting Byun to find evidence to expose
the Sung-geuns.
 |
| "You must owe a hell of a lot in library fines." |
Bluebeard
does so many things right that it's a shame the film undoes itself
during the final act. Director Lee Soo-yeon does an exemplary job
creating a moody, surreal tone, with some creepy, hallucinatory
sequences and effectively deliberate pacing. As Byun, Cho Jin-woong hits all the
right notes as a tormented doctor whose life has recently taken some
dark turns, and we're intrigued to learn exactly what led him to his
sorry state. But unlike similar films which depend on deceiving the
viewer to set up a big twist, we almost immediately begin to
suspect something's not quite right with Byun.
Bluebeard's
"failure" to pull the wool over our eyes isn't the problem,
though. After all, I know the outcome of every sports movie ever made, but
still enjoy them. Without providing spoilers, the biggest issue is
the final act, where previous events are laborously revisited from a
different perspective. But then the subsequent resolution
undermines its own story by throwing us another curveball which, based on
what we've already been presented with, rings false. Unless I
completely overlooked some vital piece of information - a subtle
hint, a throwaway line, my willingness to suspend disbelief - I
don't see how the denouement is even possible.
Still,
I find myself thinking a lot about the plausibility of that ending,
and maybe that was the film's purpose all along. Maybe it intended to
confound its own logic just to get a rise out of the
viewer. Whatever the case, Bluebeard's dark tone and
solid performances may not be enough for us to
forgive the narrative shortcomings, but at least the journey is
kind of interesting.
EXTRA KIBBLES
None
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD...LIKE CAT CHOW
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