Flight attendant Won-Gyu returns to South Korea for the first time in two years. A hopeless meeting with his ex-boyfriend drives him in search of a one night stand. He meets up with Tae-Jun, a courier who is expecting a brief encounter. What Tae-Jun gets instead is a battle of control with Won-Gyu and a dark insight into a damaged man who is looking for more than just a good time: he’s looking to punish the people who drove him from Korea in the first place.
A film does not need to contain fast-paced action to be exciting, nerve-shredding intrigue to be gripping, or exploring naked shots to be sexy. A motion picture in which little actually seems to be happening can be delivered in such a masterful and powerful way that you cannot help but dive head-first into the characters and their world. Every silence is a story, every expression is a Shakespearean monologue: you just need to be brave and read into it.
Eytan Fox’s Yossi succeeded to some extent. Andrea Arnold’s Wuthering Heights tried and failed. White Night takes this to its limit, and pulls it off every step. Every shot is filled with considered deliberation, purposely taking its time to draw you in. The scenes are given space to breathe. Each moment, and every question, is allowed time to sink in.
Like the first act of There Will Be Blood, there is very little dialogue at the start. We are forced to presume, from the outset, why the characters are behaving this way. We make suppositions as to their demeanour, building richer backgrounds in our own mind than any filmmaker could portray in such a short space of time.
Won-Gyu and Tae-Jun are nuanced and complex but never pretentious. They toy with each other, fighting for control as the night turns from a casual meeting to a deep connection of two damaged souls. The sparse dialogue gives every word power and unnecessary chatter never breaks the ‘feel’ of the moment. The level of non-verbal communication shows just how deep into their roles the actors are.
The understated characters unfold so elegantly, the audience gets to know each so intimately. They are endearing and sympathetic in their own way, they feel rich and layered. Truly well-constructed characters steal your allegiance from the others. Here the lead actors, Won Tae-hee and Yi Yi-Kyung, wrench at you, and your sympathy flip-flops between the two as their characters each show a darkness and a vulnerability. What was once seen as malice turns out to be scar-tissue, where once we saw ‘fun-loving’ we later find emotional carelessness.
Gorgeous, minimalist music is used very sparingly in White Night. It has a much greater effect for it and the soundless shots become beautiful in their simplicity. The mood of the moment is left for you to grasp. Halfway in, action explodes from nowhere and the visceral violence feels like a tempest next to the calm water that is the rest of the film. Stunning shots and a plethora of angles show you how much attention and care went into each scene. A beautiful and unique film.
Overall opinion: This film is an interactive experience. We are invited to read between the lines and ‘live’ the night with the characters. There’s no romance here, but a real and profound connection between the two leads. Nothing is overt, even the gay aspect. The animosity between the characters keeps you guessing and the enduring sense of tragedy, reminiscent of Lady Vengeance, is like a fishing line hooked into your heart. You are dragged along at the director’s whim. Leesong Hee-il’s superb film is certainly not for everyone due to its slow pace. It is, however, a masterful and confident work of art. Highly recommended for film lovers.
Reviewer: Adrian Naik
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