Innocent Thing (2014)

I'm still shaking off goosebumps after finishing the movie. I thought I knew what I was getting into and I prepared myself for it but I didn't know I'd still be this jarred. I'm not really sure yet whether I like this movie or not, but what I cannot deny is that it is a very strong and solid film.

The story is not a very complicated one. You have an obsessive school girl who's crazy about her teacher and thinks what they have is love. The teacher wavers slightly and pays the price for it with his family at stake. A simple setting but what sets this movie apart are the layers of complexities in each character's personality. More so than the obsession, the film makes you see these characters as individuals whose stories you are watching. A really well directed and written piece.

The actors did a splendid job. Jang Hyuk and Jo Bo Ah were completely engrossed in their roles. I really need to mention that these people have a huge age gap in real life and to portray such a tender and hard-to-digest topic with such realism is commendable. There were times when I was too repulsed to watch the scenes but couldn't take my eyes off of the screen because the actors were doing such a brilliant job. Worth the watch for the actors' work if not anything else.

It is definitely not something just anybody can see. You need the appetite for this sort of movie. When they say there's lust, betrayal, obsession and revenge, they mean it. There's no sugarcoating anything here. Just raw emotions. In fact, I don't think I'd be able to watch this movie again even if I wanted to. Everyone gave such a powerful performance, It's going to stay in my head for a long time.

I might not have enjoyed this movie in the true sense of enjoying a movie, but I sure respect and admire the work. It's a really good movie. Not made for everyone though. It's also rated R because of explicit scenes that are shown, but there's nothing extremely offensive about them. So that's another thing to consider before watching the movie if you're not ready for that sort of content.

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If you watched Wet Dreams (2005) and enjoyed it, this movie is definitely NOT for you. The plot may seem similar (student falls for PE teacher), but the take is total opposite. No rom-com, laughter, stupid little gags, farts and dumb teenage girls here. No butterflies and bubbly dialogues. Welcome to the dark side!!!

I was glad to see some fine acting from Jo Bo Ah, nothing like her performance in Shut Up: Flower Boy Band. Looks like she is maturing as an actress and I look forward to her next movies. She took a serious challenge with this role and I must confess I was worried she might not have what it takes YET to pull it off. But she did! And her chemistry with Jang Hyuk was beyond my wildest expectations, more so as their age gap IRL is 15 years and he is such a sunbae to her!!! They are both smoking hot and manage to suck the viewer into the story and keep him holding his breath most of the time.

Yes, you have some mature content and violent scenes here and there, but nothing gratuitous! Let's face it: you cannot dive into the depths of human mind and soul without getting a bit dirty in the process. Lust, obsession, betrayal, guilt, revenge are not easy to portrayal, nor digest. So beware!

I majored in Psychology (plus my father is a PE teacher LOL), so I liked this movie very much, but it sure won't be everyone's cup of tea. However it's worth watching and you won't get bored for sure.

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This movie is a must watch for any Jang Hyuk fan. There are some explicit scenes but they are crucial to the storyline. I really enjoyed the acting in this movie although I felt there were some holes in the storyline which made it challenging for the actors. The movie mixes different movie genres, so it is difficult to describe. Even though I don't necessarily agree with what the director was trying to portray, this movie is very fun to analyze. It's the kind of movie that I want to critique and find additional meaning in. It makes you question peoples behaviour. There were some violent scenes and this movie may make you uncomfortable at times. Because of that, I feel it is successful.

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You finish the film not knowing what exactly happened and what was illusionary. How much of the events were the results of false memories and how much was wishful thinking. A well-written plot full of fragmentations and soliloquies. When passion and curiosity get in the way of responsibility and morals, what would a person do? What is love? And how much of it is obsession and imagination? When life is tying one down and when the pressure of family and providing for it seems unbearable, can we really blame one if they tend to notice other fresh and lovely refuges?

Jang Hyuk looks so young and hot in the film with his fringe down and those muscles. Jo Bo Ah did wonderfully and outperformed all. I applaud her for picking such a hard role and exceeding at it.

I remember that the music fit the film well. The production and cinematography was just perfect. The camera angels added to much to the intensity and sense of loss.

Not for everyone. A contradictory and conflicted account on the human passion and inner conflicts.

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This movie just left me :O
The story was simple, but quietly and effectively told. If you are adverse to mature scenes, this will not be the movie for you. While there is not much in the way of skin shown, a couple of scenes are pretty explicit.
They are not gratuitous, though and they are integral to the story we are being shown. Jang Hyuk's character finds himself in quite the predicament for a moment's indiscretion. His student swiftly spirals out of control and so does his life. I can't give away what happens, but the buildup of tension and ultimate climax (no pun intended) left me with my jaw hanging open.

Acting was sensational. The actress that played Young Eun gave me goosebumps. Her portrayal of YE was the best performance in the movie.

Music - don't really remember the music, so it didn't stand out
Re-watch value - marked lower because the punch is gone once you've seen it.

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Its a simple story, but the director's cut on some crucial scenes and dialogs can make you flabbergasted. Due to the cuts, the audience is left to figure out or piece it together. The ending is a bit of a puzzle for some audiences so this is also becos of the director. When i first watched it i thought of the American Fatal Attraction but then this movie is different in many ways - the emotions are raw, its in a different cultural context, the fatal attraction is between 2 persons w wide age gap. The number of characters are small and so it was left to the actors/actrresses to deliver it. There was also some flipping of scenes, so piecing the scenes was important to understand the movie better. Jang Hyuk is brilliant in this, there is limited scope for his character but yet he could deliver well. I have learnt to trust Jang Hyuk in his performances, sometimes the storyline may not be great, but he wld always bring the character to life. What was most interesting to me was that in a country with Confuscian philosophies and strong cultural binds, this movie was made.

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Whilst this may not be the first movie with the theme of a student falling for a teacher, it is certainly one of the more memorable ones. Gone is the 'cute' student and teacher relationship. Instead we are given a complex and raw relationship between two individuals who are unhappy in life. The storyline is not complicated but there are some parts where you do have to decode and look for the deeper meaning. Whilst some may find this frustrating and confusing, I found the symbolism in the movie really interesting and really added another element to a movie which has the potential to be cliched.

Jo Bo Ah portrays the main lead as a chilling and psychotic character and showcased her amazing acting abilities. But she also had this ability to somehow still make you sympathise with the character and understand her to some level instead of just seeing her as someone who is crazy and obsessed. I loved how at the start of the film she was cute and flirty and as the movie went on she became more and more unravelled. Even at her most psychotic stages there was still a glimpse of that high school girl that was reaching out for help and for someone to love her.

The movie kept me on the edge of my seat especially towards the end and the cinematography really added to the chilling atmosphere that some parts of the movie gives off. It's definitely one to watch if you like movies with dark themes and raw emotions.

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Not So Innocent .....

Picture a man in his 30's, not much of a winner in his life. Married a woman whom he got pregnant after many years of dating. She comes from a rich family who helped him get a teaching job in a community all girl school. Then picture a student who was born out of wedlock as her mother is the mistress of a rich corporate businessman. Traumatized, feeling un-loved and mentally disturbed.

When these two meet, TROUBLE follows. Teacher gets into a weak moment of escapism from his not so ideal life lusting for the student who goes all out to possess this man and his love. In her mentally deranged way, she eases herself into his life, his home, unable to let go. Whilst the teacher realized he should not have encouraged her in the first place, everything becomes a little too late to reign the student in. Thus we have a very exciting, thrilling movie well played.

Jang Hyuk as usual magnificent and believable in the role of this unlucky teacher who truly got the greatest lesson and regret in his life, The nervous and naturally selfish wife played by Sun Woo did a really good job trying to keep and protect the family she has and Jo Bo-Ah was mesmerizing and nerve wrecking perfect in the mentally disturbed student role. This movie reminds me of "Fatal Attraction" played by Michael Douglas and Glen Close. This Korean movie with Jang Hyuk and Jo Bo-Ah did an equally good job in keeping us at the edge of our seat. Highly recommended to watch. Enjoy!

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Everything went so smooth at the first but it exploded like a bomb with the second half. This is one of the movies that have gotten right into my heart and soul everytime I think about what just happened.
I watched it without watching the trailer and only reading the plot, I just thought-- oh, a student-teacher relationship, seems exciting to watch! I didnt expect much, but what surprised me is I can now call Jang Hyuk as the kind of melodrama. A great actor definitely describes his existence. Jo Bo Ah didn't failed, I totally loved her after watching this!
I watched this before going to sleep, It's because I have definitely no idea but what will happen next.. The suspense scenes feels a little bland because I should be getting goosebumps that time, or maybe I was just too shocked because wow, what a bomb.
This movie have ranked 2nd of my favorite Psycho-School-Thriller movie of all time, first was Kokuhaku.

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If it was not love, what was it?

I ended up not knowing what was real or fake.

If it was not love, what was it?

Sometimes we must agree that they are awful people; they will hunt you until it is over for them or you.

What a nice movie! I started this movie without expectations. I had to recognize that I watched it for Jang Hyuk, who never disappoints and is gifted. Every single time that I have watched his work, if he cried, so did I.

This movie showed us how easily we can manipulate a teenager's mind and how wounded some of them are.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie; all the actors did an excellent job, and I ended up empathizing with all of them (most of the characters took awful decisions, but they were under pressure, so).

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I decided to watch this movie for two reasons. The first being that I'm a fan of Jang Hyuk, so when I saw he was the male lead in the movie I was like "ok let's watch this movie". The second reason is that I actually enjoy watching or reading things that deal with psychology, so it convinced me even more to watch it.

So what can I say about this movie ? It was a really pleasant watch.
First of all, I have to talk about the acting. Everyone did a good job considering their character, which were not made to display all of their talent except for one character: Yong Eun. Jo Bo Ah did an excellent, I would even say a brilliant job in portraying the twisted Yong Eun, it totally blew me away, which is one of the reason I liked this movie.

Now about the story, as you may have read on the summary above, it revolves around Jun Gi a stressed out PE teacher which one day gives in to his emotions and do something that will throw his life into a spiral of chaos BUT it's not only that, it's not only the story of a PE teacher and a "yandere" student, it has (at least I think it has) another underlying meaning that you will understood throughout the movie and especially thanks to the last scene, which is why I would recommend anyone to watch this movie closely up until the end.

To conclude this review, I would recommend this movie, it might not be the best movie out there, but it's still a really good movie to watch

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