La Belle

Posted by Aldo Pusey on Monday, February 5, 2024

Love Remembered by the Body!" runs the tagline to "La Belle," an extraordinary slice of metaphysical erotica that looks as if its creators stumbled across some old Robbe-Grillet tapes. Exquisitely shot series of decorative couplings in a minimalist apartment wouldn't rate a second look if the director wasn't Yeo Kyun-dong, an actor-writer-helmer who previously made one fine work (road movie "Out to the World") and one interesting one ("81/2"-like "Killer Story"). Pic could have a minimal offshore career as sensual eye-candy, but the ridiculous, pseudo-Gallic dialogue is painful.

Love Remembered by the Body!” runs the tagline to “La Belle,” an extraordinary slice of metaphysical erotica that looks as if its creators stumbled across some old Robbe-Grillet tapes. Exquisitely shot series of decorative couplings in a minimalist apartment wouldn’t rate a second look if the director wasn’t Yeo Kyun-dong, an actor-writer-helmer who previously made one fine work (road movie “Out to the World”) and one interesting one (“81/2”-like “Killer Story”). Pic could have a minimal offshore career as sensual eye-candy, but the ridiculous, pseudo-Gallic dialogue is painful.

A handsome Internet journalist (Oh Ji-ho) lets a gorgeous nude model (Lee Ji-hyeon) into his place one day, and they become lovers. She’s willful, kittenish and demanding, and keeps rushing off whenever her cell phone rings; but she always returns, and starts to obsess the man’s thoughts, prompting him to find out who the mysterious caller is. Largely shot in the single apartment, the film has an almost tri-tone color scheme of white (sheets, scanties), black (hair, furniture) and honey (acres of skin). Nudity stops short of genitalia, and some kind of award should go to Ahn Eun-mi, credited with “special body direction.”

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La Belle

South Korea

  • Production: An Eun-Suk Film presentation of a Keyweckshide production. (International sales: Cineclick Asia, Seoul.) Produced by Lee Su-nam. Executive producer, Yu In-taek. Directed by Yeo Kyun-dong. Screenplay, Lee Sang-woo, Yeo, from the novel "Mom" (Body) by Yeo.
  • Crew: Camera (color), Kim Jae-ho; editor, Lee Eun-su; music director, Noh Yeong-shim; art director, Kim Myeong-kyeong. Reviewed at Pusan Film Festival (Korean Panorama), South Korea, Oct. 10, 2000. Running time: 94 MIN.
  • With: With: Lee Ji-hyeon, Oh Ji-ho.

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