How far would you go to get pregnant? I'm not talking surgical operations or fertility pills. I'm talking drinking booze spiked with giant centipedes, eating a boiled eyeball, downing a shot of fresh boar's blood, and chewing on a fetal egg. Would you do that? Do you want a baby so bad that you'd basically do anything suggested by some crazy guy (Ma Dong-seok) who runs a backwoods cafe that you discovered on the internet? Would you let your husband (Jo Han-seon) sleep with this guy's mute sex slave (Ji An) — who may his sister, his wife or his adopted daughter — simply to combat erectile dysfunction? Before you answer that, let me ask one other question: Does the person who says "yes" to these questions sound like someone who would make a good parent?
I've certainly never wanted a kid that bad. Nor have I suffered the pain of a miscarriage. (And director Kwon Hyeong-jin's Exchange acknowledges that such a loss can be traumatic for the man as well as the woman.) What I do know, however, is that when such a person (Kim Min-kyeong) is willing to go to such extremes, the price is going to be higher than expected. Violence in all its forms will be in no short supply. One ridiculous touch: The impotent husband is repeatedly seen wearing the brand Le Coq Sportif! There's little humor in this film, though. This is Ma at his grimmest. Not fun.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment