Opening Day: 31 March 2011

Synopsis:

The first 3D erotica movie in Asia.

Critically acclaimed for its breathtaking beauty, the famous sculpture ‘Natali’ is now back for the public to view at maestro sculptor Joonhyuk Hwang’s private exhibition, after being covered in veil for a decade. The original model remains anonymous until the final day of the show when Joonhyuk tells art critic Minwoo Jang of his memories of passionate love with Natali’s actual model, Miran Oh. However, Minwoo claims she was in love with him. Crossing memories of Joonhyuk and Minwoo surrounding Miran, as well as secrets revolving ‘Natali’ start to unfold…

Movie Review:

We’re going to attempt to do the unnecessary by giving you a review of a film that probably doesn’t need a review- at least that’s what the movie distributor thought as well since they did not bother to hold a media screening for this title. And we tend to agree, if you’re already planning to see this movie, then there’s little a bad review will do to dissuade you. We don’t think too that there’ll be many people sitting on the fence for this one, but we might be mistaken, so perhaps this review will come in handy.

The prolific Korean film industry jumps on the 3D bandwagon with this erotic thriller “Natali”, which is also the name of the sculpture around which the story revolves. The artwork is the showpiece of renowned sculptor Hwang Jun-Hyuk’s (Lee Sung-jae) exhibition, and we learn from the opening minutes that Jun-Hyuk has an intense love-hate relationship with his own work. Jun-Hyuk is visited by a supposed art critic after closing hours, who under the guise of writing an article on him reveals his true purpose of acquiring the coveted sculpture.

Why it is so highly valued by both Jun-Hyuk and the critic Min-u (Kim Ji-hoon) is the heart of co-writer/ director Joo Kyung-jung’s film, and the mystery propelling the narrative forward- suffice to say that it is apparently based on a student, Oh Mi-ran (Park Hyun-jin), at the university where Jun-Hyuk used to be teaching and where Min-u used to study. Of course, story is probably secondary to why you’re really watching this film, but trust us when we say that it is ultimately that which makes your time worthwhile.

Indeed, after all the hype about this being the first 3D erotica in Asia, the sex scenes in “Natali” amount to no more than that which belongs in a soft-porn movie. To be sure, there is about 20 mins worth of that within and only within the first hour of the movie, consisting of Jun-Hyuk’s sexual relations with his curator Park Hyo-rim (Kim Ki-yeon) and Mi-ran later on. Kyung-jung deliberately engenders a sensual and passionate feel to these scenes, so expect none of that hot and heavy stuff and more of the slow gyrating kind.

But as a result, you’ll also get to appreciate the advantage of that extra dimension even more, and there’s no denying that Kyung-jung’s efforts in choreographing these scenes to maximise the advantages of the new technology. What’s even more pleasantly surprising however is his attempt to make this movie a thoughtful rumination on love and on art through Jun-Hyuk and Min-u’s discussions.

In between revealing the intimate connections between the three protagonists, the film deals with themes of fidelity [especially with regard to Jun-Hyuk’s belief that ‘adultery is simply a word from the past’] as well as the irony of how the creation of an artwork of beauty can sometimes destroy the very thing of beauty on which it is based upon. To reveal more would be giving away too much, but it is these subjects that elevate “Natali” above the soft-porn image it projects.

Of course, that’s not to say that it reaches the heights of high-brow arthouse film to which it aspires to. It is far from it, partly because aside from the flashbacks, the scenes of Jun-Hyuk and Min-u unfold less like a movie than a theatrical play with only a modicum of the latter’s finesse. But hey, if you’re curious to check out what erotica looks like in 3D, then at least “Natali” does offer enough intellectual excuse for you to explain to your friends when they ask you about it.

Movie Rating:

(Sex does look and probably sell better in 3D, but “Natali” surprises with its thoughtful commentary on fidelity and art)

Review by Gabriel Chong