M (or mmmmmmmm)

“M” is a new film by Korean director Lee Myung-se. It’s a supernatural love story…that’s right, he’s in love with the past, a ghost, and the ghosts of the past.

Minwoo is a toremnted writer, hard at work on his first novel but suffering from sleep deprivation, hallucinations, and is inundated with memories that he can’t seem to fully recall. He looks at photos and objects he can’t remember although they are familiar to him in some inate way. Haunted by his memories, he is followed everywhere by Mimi, a woman whom it seems is borderline obsessively in love with Minwoo and his every move. Mimi sems to help him remember as images of his past fall together like the pieces of a puzzle in abstract and visually moving ways.

The film is a hunting and beautiful love story. Visually stunning, each image is breathtaking. By far the most avant-garde art film I have seen or will see at TIFF this year, ”M” asks as many questions as it answers. Director Myung-se keep sthe film moving through it’s fast cuts and barrage of stylistic images. Quite moody, the film resonates with the viewer with it’s universal themes.

I’m sure I missed a lot of the images while reading the Korean subtitles, which themselves become part of the film. The filmmaker uses original Korean text on screen as art. Stylistically “M” reminding me of Wong Kar Wai’s “In the Mood for Love” for it’s visual appeal and ability to evoke feelings through the mise-en-scene. Fans of that film will likely enjoy “M.”