Something To Do Before Dying releases in July
by javabeans
I’m not quite sure what to think about this movie — whether it’s poorly conceived or timely, sensitive or insensitive.
There’s a new film coming out next month, and it’s called Something To Do Before Dying [죽기전에 해야할 몇가지 것들] and deals with the topic of suicide. The main character is a young woman who “lives an ordinary life, and one day decides to die.” What follows is a series of accidental encounters told in a plain, calm manner and which “evoke a unique feeling.”
The film stars relative newbie actress Namgung Eun-sook, who appeared in the sports film Forever the Moment, as the main character Soo-yeon. Directing is Park Sung-beom in his follow-up to the 2007 film My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend.
The film tracks a day in the life of Soo-yeon with an “emotional” touch that seeks to portray her “complicated but delicate state of mind.” It sounds like it’ll be a quiet indie film that doesn’t sensationalize her decision, and yet I wonder at the appropriateness of a(nother) suicide-themed movie following a year of high-profile suicides (Ahn Jae-hwan, Choi Jin-shil, entertainer Jang Chae-won, model Kim Ji-hoo, singer Lee Seo-hyun, actor Kim Seok-kyun, actress Jang Ja-yeon, actress Woo Seung-yeon — all since last September).
It’s not the only suicide-related film coming out soon; the latest (fifth) installment in the “Memento Mori” series of horror films is titled Suicide Pact and starts with the basic premise that a group of high school students decides to kill themselves together. However, for some reason I’m not as uncomfortable with that film, perhaps because it’s a horror movie that depicts suicide as a Very Bad Idea. (And if the girls are haunted by a murderous ghost, presumably they spend the movie fighting to live, not deciding to die.)
Then again, maybe it’s too early to get up in arms about Something To Do Before Dying. I’m a little wary of a film that centers around a woman living what sounds like a normal life who decides that suicide would be the thing to do, like it’s some kind of panacea for boredom. But who knows, maybe she decides against it, and the film will actually be valuable in showing the thought process of somebody who changes her mind and decides to live. Well, I can hope that it will, at least.
Something To Do Before Dying will release in theaters on July 9.
Via Max Movie
Tags: Namgung Eun-sook
Required fields are marked *
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
1 Biscuit
June 13, 2009 at 12:14 PM
I'm hoping that in the end, before she dies she realizes why life is good.
If not and she does end up dying, maybe it'll just motivate more people to suicide.
There's already enough suicides atm. We dont need more people dying.
Required fields are marked *
2 kitty
June 13, 2009 at 12:25 PM
Hm. Reminds me a little of Coelho's Veronika Decides To Die. Whatever it is, I hope the director deals with the subject in a sensitive manner.
Required fields are marked *
3 Sue
June 13, 2009 at 1:14 PM
MEHHHHHH i don't like. why does the main character have to have my name????? i've never seen a main character with my name... WHY NOW??!?! T^T
Required fields are marked *
4 Carolin
June 13, 2009 at 2:16 PM
I tsill think that for some reason i will watch the film. You can say general interest. I think to be honest it would be more interesting if she actually does die at the end. The reason being that I think too many films want to put a good spin on every subject. No matter how irrational it actually is. But on the other hand this film could just be a total failer as far as execution of the subject is concerned.
Required fields are marked *
5 funniebones
June 13, 2009 at 8:23 PM
I don't mean this comment to offend or insult as I have not yet watched the movie
...however I must say that I do not appreciate the idea of romanticizing suicide.
I'm hoping that although not reflected by reality, this movie chooses to portray the character as having some sort of illumination that provides her with the will to live.
Other people in the world fight a more difficult battle in the struggle to survive.They'd rather eat scraps we'd rather not even look at just a means to keep their bodies moving for one more day.
Suicide as a means of alleviating boredom I believe is an insult to them.
Of course, we can bifurcate into other topics such as depression and an array of mental illnesses which often leads to self destructive behavior, I will not open that argument up on here.
I'm just sayin'...
Required fields are marked *
6 Asarako
June 13, 2009 at 9:23 PM
creepy
Required fields are marked *
7 kimchii
June 13, 2009 at 9:24 PM
"(Ahn Jae-hwan, Choi Jin-shil, entertainer Jang Chae-won, model Kim Ji-hoo, singer Lee Seo-hyun, actor Kim Seok-kyun, actress Jang Ja-yeon, actress Woo Seung-yeon — all since last September)."
Eight? Ohmy..
I didn't realized it was that many people..
Required fields are marked *
8 milagirll
June 13, 2009 at 10:30 PM
I'm not too comfortable with the fact they are using the topic of suicide either but maybe they'll take the same route as a movie called "My Life Without Me". While the main character was dying of cancer it mostly dealt with the quality of life of the people she would leave behind. That character had no choice to die but, hopefully, in this movie they won't use suicide as a way out. Actually, that more sounds like "It's A Wonderful Life". That's a good movie too though.
Required fields are marked *
9 deeta
June 13, 2009 at 10:38 PM
I'm afraid this movie will give rise to very very dangerous ideas. On the other hand, I feel the subject of suicide needs to be addressed more formally.
Required fields are marked *
10 Asmaa
June 14, 2009 at 12:04 AM
maybe that's what the movie is about... addressing this issue openly and getting people to think and debate about it..
if she dies in the end... or if the end will likely bring bad results, then i hope the censorboard just screens it.. and they might, no one produces a movie to turn people away from it..
Required fields are marked *
11 algelic
June 14, 2009 at 3:27 AM
Is this supposed to be a spin-off of the "Veronika Decides to Die" book by Paulo Coelho? Sounds similar.
Required fields are marked *
12 jes
June 14, 2009 at 4:19 AM
and the former korean prez's suicide :/
Required fields are marked *
13 sari
June 14, 2009 at 5:56 AM
i will not watch it,it sound not very enjoy movie.
Required fields are marked *
14 mie
June 14, 2009 at 7:17 AM
sounds kind of like "veronika decides to die" by Paulo Coelho (and there's also a japanese film of the same name i believe that also stars lee wan)
Required fields are marked *
15 mommy
June 14, 2009 at 12:42 PM
the producer of this film must be interested in portraying the psychological stages one goes through when they're suicidal. You know when people die, they want to do certain things like travel for instance or spending their last days out of the hopsital with their family and friends. I dunno what goes on in the mind of suicidal ppl but as the ttitle suggests, i think this character will start doing something, probably something aside the ordinary and mundane activities that drove her to contemplate the meaning of life and then maybe at the end she'll discover she is ready to die or change her mind perhaps.
Required fields are marked *
16 sunshine
June 14, 2009 at 10:52 PM
oh wow yes, I was about to say that it sounds a lot like Coelho's Veronika Decides to Die as well!
Required fields are marked *
17 ken
August 1, 2009 at 1:17 PM
Please watch the movie. It is not about promoting suicide. It somehow reminds me of a Japanese novel "Woman in the Dune" written in the 60s. Life is monotonous but somehow we keep going on, suffling tiny little bit of sand everyday.
I have never seen a movie with one single actor throughout. No conversation except talking on the phone. It is amzaing! My salute to the director!
Required fields are marked *
18 Maria
August 30, 2012 at 7:00 AM
I've been waiting for 3 years to see this movie, but there are nu English subtitles! I'll end up killing myself before seeing it.
Required fields are marked *