Bin-Jip (3-Iron)

Earlier tonight, my wife and I watched Bin-Jip (3-Iron). It is an beautiful, dreamy and enchanting movie, where the two main characters never speak a word to each other. Everyone else in the film talks normally. On the surface, it is about a young drifter who exists by staying in vacant houses or apartments. He breaks into the houses, but does not steal anything or vandalize anything. Hmm, he does eat some of the food, but that is about it. On the other hand, he does some home repair, waters plants and just general home improvement. Before departing, he makes efforts to leave the house in the same shape as when he entered.

However, the movie is deeper than that. I am sure that I do not completely understand all of the deeper meanings. I believe that the movie speaks to the lonely existence that many lead in the modern world. It also talks about the dreams and fantasies that many harbor about escaping their dreary existence. Well that is my guess anyway. In some ways it is a ghost story. You return from a vacation and something feels different, a broken appliance is fixed, some food is gone, the plants are freshly watered, yet you don't see anyone, the house seems empty. It is also a road movie, moving from vacant house to vacant house, with only what you can pack. Like most road movies, it is more about the characters and the journey's affect on the characters than the actual destination.


The acting is great. It is pretty impressive that the lead characters can carry the film without saying any words. Through their expressions and gestures, they do an excellent job of communicating. You can see their relationship change and evolve without hearing a word. My wife describes the lead actor (Jae Hee) as the Korean Johnny Depp. I think that it is a pretty good description. I will admit that the lead actress (Lee Seung-Yeon) does actually speak twice during the movie. It is interesting that the content of her expression is shocking, however it is made even more shocking since you do not expect her to speak. I actually jumped a little when she spoke.