Actresses is a 2009 Korean drama/mockumentary movie about a bunch of actresses discussing their lives.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Full disclosure; I didn't really like the premise of this particular film to begin with, so it kept sliding down my watch list for some time. A bunch of actresses sitting around talking about their lives and emotions is not exactly the type of film I'm dying to see. But, as it is with any decently rated cinematic venture from South Korea, I was going to watch it sooner or later. I finally caught up with it this past weekend, and it was well worth the watch!
This film centers around 6 Korean actresses who are gathered together for a joint Vogue photo shoot. The actresses are all fairly well known in Korean cinema and each of them were selected to represent a specific generation that spans a combined 40 years or so of Korean cinema; essentially, they collectively symbolize the past, present, and future of Korean actresses.
The cast all play "themselves" to some degree or another. They range in age, with the oldest being Yoon Yeo- Jung (a "Grand Dame" of Korean cinema who's in her early to mid sixties at the time of filming) to the youngest being Kim Ok-Bin (a girl in her early twenties, who turned a lot of heads the same year this movie was filmed with her mesmerizing performance as the lead actress in the quasi-vampire movie "Thirst").
This movie can somewhat be divided into two parts; the first half plays somewhat like a traditional movie that focuses on the Vogue staff trying (sometimes desperately) to assuage the massive egos and tiny quirks of all the actresses they've gathered together in order to complete a successful photo shoot. It's interesting, and often comical, to see the emotions (whether real or not) of each of the actresses as they come together for this photo op; there's lots of vanity, insecurities, sniping, and "one up (wo)manship" on display, as they each vie for acceptance and prevalence among, and between, themselves.
As luck would have it, the props needed to complete the photo shoot have been delayed in arriving to the set, which leads to the second half of this film; as such, the actresses all have to sit around and wait, which then forces them to interact with each other more and more (whether willingly or otherwise) as time passes by. Eventually, they all get to the point of accepting and/or overcoming their differences over a drunken dinner party where they all discuss their careers and lives at length (and all that goes along with being a Korean actress). Here, the movie essentially boils down to a girlie/woman talkfest & female bonding experience, and as much as it shames me to type this, I found this part of the film totally engrossing!
This movie benefits quite a bit by several things: 1) First and foremost, all of the actresses are absolutely terrific at their craft; 2) perhaps most significantly, this movie is filmed in a strangely unique style that is part "actual movie, part documentary, part mockumentary, and part improvisational home movie". I'm not sure I've seen anything quite like this particular mish-mash style of film making, and I must say that I like it a lot in this particular instance.; and, 3) the actresses (to varying degree) all seem to be actually talking about, and willingly revealing & discussing, their own personal lives inside and outside of the movie making industry. This facet of this film is enhanced even more if you are familiar with who these actresses are, and know a little bit about their "personal history". Everyone does such a good job with the material here, that there comes a point that it's hard to determine whether or not these women are actually still "acting", or are just getting drunk and dishing about their lives and careers and not caring if the camera is rolling, or are just working to try to reach some middle ground in between (whether consciously or otherwise).
Bottom Line: I really like this film. I give it 8 out of 10 stars. And, this is coming from a guy who would gladly trample the Indie, girl power, talk fest, crowd to watch "I Saw the Devil" any day of the week. It's not the greatest thing ever made, but I highly recommend this film as a sublimely interesting and worthwhile watch!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Full disclosure; I didn't really like the premise of this particular film to begin with, so it kept sliding down my watch list for some time. A bunch of actresses sitting around talking about their lives and emotions is not exactly the type of film I'm dying to see. But, as it is with any decently rated cinematic venture from South Korea, I was going to watch it sooner or later. I finally caught up with it this past weekend, and it was well worth the watch!
This film centers around 6 Korean actresses who are gathered together for a joint Vogue photo shoot. The actresses are all fairly well known in Korean cinema and each of them were selected to represent a specific generation that spans a combined 40 years or so of Korean cinema; essentially, they collectively symbolize the past, present, and future of Korean actresses.
The cast all play "themselves" to some degree or another. They range in age, with the oldest being Yoon Yeo- Jung (a "Grand Dame" of Korean cinema who's in her early to mid sixties at the time of filming) to the youngest being Kim Ok-Bin (a girl in her early twenties, who turned a lot of heads the same year this movie was filmed with her mesmerizing performance as the lead actress in the quasi-vampire movie "Thirst").
This movie can somewhat be divided into two parts; the first half plays somewhat like a traditional movie that focuses on the Vogue staff trying (sometimes desperately) to assuage the massive egos and tiny quirks of all the actresses they've gathered together in order to complete a successful photo shoot. It's interesting, and often comical, to see the emotions (whether real or not) of each of the actresses as they come together for this photo op; there's lots of vanity, insecurities, sniping, and "one up (wo)manship" on display, as they each vie for acceptance and prevalence among, and between, themselves.
As luck would have it, the props needed to complete the photo shoot have been delayed in arriving to the set, which leads to the second half of this film; as such, the actresses all have to sit around and wait, which then forces them to interact with each other more and more (whether willingly or otherwise) as time passes by. Eventually, they all get to the point of accepting and/or overcoming their differences over a drunken dinner party where they all discuss their careers and lives at length (and all that goes along with being a Korean actress). Here, the movie essentially boils down to a girlie/woman talkfest & female bonding experience, and as much as it shames me to type this, I found this part of the film totally engrossing!
This movie benefits quite a bit by several things: 1) First and foremost, all of the actresses are absolutely terrific at their craft; 2) perhaps most significantly, this movie is filmed in a strangely unique style that is part "actual movie, part documentary, part mockumentary, and part improvisational home movie". I'm not sure I've seen anything quite like this particular mish-mash style of film making, and I must say that I like it a lot in this particular instance.; and, 3) the actresses (to varying degree) all seem to be actually talking about, and willingly revealing & discussing, their own personal lives inside and outside of the movie making industry. This facet of this film is enhanced even more if you are familiar with who these actresses are, and know a little bit about their "personal history". Everyone does such a good job with the material here, that there comes a point that it's hard to determine whether or not these women are actually still "acting", or are just getting drunk and dishing about their lives and careers and not caring if the camera is rolling, or are just working to try to reach some middle ground in between (whether consciously or otherwise).
Bottom Line: I really like this film. I give it 8 out of 10 stars. And, this is coming from a guy who would gladly trample the Indie, girl power, talk fest, crowd to watch "I Saw the Devil" any day of the week. It's not the greatest thing ever made, but I highly recommend this film as a sublimely interesting and worthwhile watch!