The two presidential contenders from Hanara?
No, “useless” as in 다세포소녀, the film by Lee Jae-yong. This film is one of the current popular films being currently shown at the New York Asian Film Festival in New York City, June 22 - July 8.
“Daesapo Naughty Girls” was released around the same time as “The Host”, thus was unjustly neglected eaten.
As per the festival’s site:
Based on a hugely popular webcomic, this musical (!) about Dasepo (”Useless”) High School, revolves around the plight of Poor Girl (KIM Ok-bin), a new student who has poverty, literally, hanging off her back. She’s in love with “the transfer student from Switzerland” Anthony (PARK Jin-woo), but he’s in love with Double Eyes, the sister of One Eye (LEE Kyun), the class cyclops. One problem: Double Eyes is actually a boy. Another problem: a cult is abducting students and forcing them to dirty dance for the Erotic Goddess. Third Problem: the headmaster is hypnotizing students and installing an “Instant Virgin Chip” that turns them into church-going nerds. For the kids of Dasepo High, who are constantly ducking out of class to hit the VD clinic or meet a customer, this is the ultimate insult. Who will save these perverted pupils from being transformed into model students? This flick’s jokes run the gamut from corny to horny, but underneath it all it’s got a heart of gold and it proclaims that the biggest enemies to world peace are a closed mind, a lack of style and a lack of lubricant.
Also, as per one review by Darcy Paquet:
Dasepo Naughty Girls may not have been what teenage fans were expecting, but Director E has nonetheless given us a highly original and satisfying film, assuming you go in with the right expectations. Basically, he has taken the original comic’s spirit of transgression and transformed it into a film that defies the mainstream in other, quieter ways. If Korean society often portrays itself as being homogenous, Dasepo Naughty Girls explodes that notion in favor of diversity. Hierarchical social structures, too familiar in real-life Korea, crumble within the world of the film. Social outcasts may still exist at Musseulmo High, but interestingly enough it’s the “normal” students who are more often made to feel uncomfortable and unsure of themselves.
The showing in New York is also sold out.
8 Comments
Wouldn’t that be “다세포소녀”? I’ve actually seen some strips of the web comic this movie’s based on floating around the Internet, translated into English as “Multicellular Girl”.
“Multicellular Girl”!? Man, that’s funny. You are also right, it is “다세포소녀”. My typing is funny too.
I thought it was a very cute movie. One thing, though: the one who played the ‘foreign’ kid had a very Korean accent when he wasn’t talking in Korean.
Sold out in NY huh? I wonder how many of the ticket holders are attracted to the title of the movie, “Daesapo Naughty Girls” and interpret that title as: “…we are gonna see hot little asian girl boobies popping out of their school girl uniforms!”
Might be some disappointed people out there at this move. As far as I know it “doesn’t have an ounce of nudity.”
The venue of the festival is the IFC Center located in Greenwich Village - a culturally very rich area in Manhattan. The Center usually shows good movies that have met the interests of many unique movie watchers. I don’t think nudity of a movie can be a significant factor to attract those who go to the Center to watch movies. A few months ago, I watched “Inland Empire” of David Lynch, one of my favorite filmmakers, at the IFC Center, which was one of the few theaters in states that showed the great movie.
Greenwich Village? Obviously an artsy fartsy place. But I don’t know… I still think there is a voyeurist element to the interest in the movie. There was in Korea. I heard that when people realized it wasn’t as overtly sex charged as Sex is Zero or American Pie, they started leaving…
“I still think there is a voyeurist element to the interest in the movie.”
You are right for the most moviegoers.
WangKon,
Well, it can be a depressing movie (probably more so for those who expected to see some titillation).