• Rarely has such a film succeeded in gripping its audience with such subtle means. When 302 finally unbends, and we discover her story, we wish 301 had not been so persistent. Now that we know the facts, we know that a solution is not going to be easy. Certainly, the drip, a course of therapy or a miraculous quick-cure through some nicely thought-out event would be possible. But (male) feminist Chul-Soo Park is no average director, and does not let his films get round the issue, as many others unthinkingly do (such as Antonia Bird with her Berlinale film, Priest, the year before in 1995). Consistantly, if horrifically, the Korean leads his film to its end, and for all who care to look beyond the superficial, one of the greatest romantics in film history reveals herself.

• 301·302's story is atmospheric to the end, the events highly gripping. Although the cinema-goer may already guess the ending, most critics will avoid giving away its mysteries. But let's hope that 301·302 finds a large audience, and, above all, that western distributers may at long last discover the potential of Korean cinema. They should really be encouraged by results at festivals.

Filmdata:

Official link: http://www.arrowfilms.com/three.html