| Language: Korean Director: Hong Ji-Yeong Running time: 102 min Release year: 2009 |
| Cast: Shin Min-A, Kim Tae-Woo, Ju Ji-Hun, Jeon Hye-Jin, Bang Eun-Jin, Park Sang-Hun, Lee Hwan |
Movie Review:
Building upon the topic of marital infidelity ala “My Wife Got Married” and the recent interest in food based films like “Antique” and “Le Grand Chef,” the new Korean film ‘The Naked Kitchen” attempts to whip up a modern dish based upon a very familiar recipe: a love triangle involving one woman and two men. The spin that the “The Naked Kitchen” provides is that its main character, Mo-rae Ahn played by Min-a Shin, isn’t what you may expect - an extroverted modern woman out to get what she wants. Instead, Mo-rae has all of the innocence of say Audrey Tautou’s Amelie Poulain and in a bit of an existential moment out of Albert Camus’ “The Stranger” becomes blinded by the sun and, because of this, finds herself dipping her toes in the pool of infidelity. The film also stars up & coming actor Ji-hun Ju, who made quite a splash for himself in last year’s “Antique.” More recently, Ji-hun Ju made an even bigger splash for himself by getting involved in a drug arrest, so if you like Jin-hu Ju make sure to catch this film as you won't see him in any other films anytime soon. |
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In “The Naked Kitchen,” sweet & innocent Mo-rae Ahn (Min-a Shin) seems to be happily married to her first love Sang-in (played by Tae-woo Kim). One day, Mo-rae sneaks into an art museum and bumps into a man who may have also sneaked into the closed art museum. With the sound of employees walking towards them, the man pulls Mo-rae into a narrow hallway and awaits for the employees to pass by. During this moment, Mo-rae and the man stand face and face, with the bright afternoon sunlight shining straight into Mo-rae’s eyes. She starts to feel something come over her and before she realizes what is happening, Mo-rae finds herself in a passionate kiss with this unfamiliar man.
That evening Mo-rae has dinner with husband Sang-in. Still confused by what happened earlier, Mo-rae confesses to Sang-in what happened that afternoon in the art museum. Sang-in isn’t the mood to hear Mo-rae’s confession as he is busy preparing for the opening of his new restaurant. Especially when Sang-in has gone through the trouble of bringing over a chef from France to personally tutor him. When they arrive back at their home the Korean-French chef awaits for them outside of their house. To Mo-rae’s surprise, the Korean-French chef is the man she kissed passionately at the art museum …
The English title “The Naked Kitchen” is a bit of a misnomer as the movie doesn’t contain any nudity and doesn’t have much eroticism. The film takes place exclusively in trendy upscale settings, filled with well dressed food critics, chefs, & young professionals. To the movie’s detriment I did find the movie to be excessively clean. This in itself held the film back when considering the film’s topic.
What the movie eventually attempts to examine is the meaning of love as it pertains to Korean woman. Sang-in finds herself having to choose between a man that’s always there for her (possibly representing the traditional Korean male figure) and a man filled with mystery & excitement (representing the new modern Korean man). Unfortunately the script and its delivery is completely lifeless. You never get a sense of excitement or anticipation during the film’s runtime. Instead, you’re likely to find yourself yawning, while admiring the hip furniture and wondering to yourself when something of interest might come about. For bored housewives “The Naked Kitchen” may strike a chord and possibly elicit a more positive response. If you don’t fall within that group and your not a die-hard Min-a Shin / Jin-hu Ju / or Tae-woo Kim fan, then skip “The Naked Kitchen” - it has all the flavor of an unsalted cracker. |
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| { Recommended Korean Movies } |
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The divine weapon (Singijeon) |
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Director: Yu-jin Kim; Cast: Jae-yeong Jeong, Eun-jeong Han, Jun-ho Heo, Sung-kee Ahn, Geon-sik Bae, Li-seong Do, Seong-mo Jeong |
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Lady Vengeance (Chinjeolhan Geumjassi) |
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Director: Park Chan-Wook; Cast: Yeong-ae Lee, Choi Min-Sik, Kwon Ye-Young |
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Breathless (Ddongpari) |
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Secret sunshine (Milyang) |
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Director: Lee Chang-Dong; Cast: Jeon Do-Yeon, Song Kang-Ho, Seon Jeong-Yeop |
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My dear enemy (Meotjin haru) |
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Director: Yoon-ki Lee; Cast: Jeon Do-Yeon, Ha Jung-Woo, Hye-ok Kim, Oh Ji-Eun |
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The host (Gwoemul) |
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Director: Joon-ho Bong; Cast: Kang-ho Song, Hie-bong Byeon, Hae-il Park, Doona Bae |
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The good, the bad, the weird (Joheunnom nabbeunnom isanghannom) |
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Director: Ji-woon Kim; Cast: Kang-ho Song, Byung-hun Lee, Woo-sung Jung |
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