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Kyung-gu Sol, Yejin Kim, Jung Suh, So-ri Moon

In the spring of 1999, a group of old friends gather to celebrate their 20 year reunion. Among the group is Yeong-ho, a cold, unhappy man, whose demeanor puts a damper on the festivities. The seriousn...( read more  read more... )ess of Yeong-ho''s depression becomes apparent, however, when he climbs a railroad bridge and looks like he might jump. At this crucial moment, memories of seven crucial episodes from Yeong-ho''s past flood his mind.

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85% liked it

968 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

5 critics

Unrated, 2 hrs. 9 min.

Directed by: Chang-dong Lee

Release Date: January 2, 2000

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Flixster Reviews (84)

  • kiriyamakazou
    January 2, 2008
    kiriyamakazou
    Lee Chang-Dong again astounds me with another startling film. Unlike most films we don't see a character progress as the scenes are played in reverse chronological order. The protagonist regresses and we see a harsh, bitter suicidal and violent man turn back into the sweet and ge...( read more)ntle student he once was. Unlike many comments this is nothing like Memento, in Memento the scenes all linked together here however each segmen is set years apart. Not only do we see a fragile mans life unravelled before us each part also comments on a major political/historical moment in Koreas recent past, and not in a preachy dull way either. A film that at first makes you confront the main character, before forcing you to withstand him before finally accepting him. Well paced and expertly crafted this is another great entry into what is shaping to be a fabulous and unblemished filmogrophy.
  • EarthlyAlien
    July 18, 2007
    EarthlyAlien
    Often and inevitably compared to Memento (released in the same year), at least by those who have seen it of course, considering that the people responsible for this film's distribution commited a CRIME (!), Peppermint Candy is, and this really is the most easy way t...( read more)o put it, almost as brilliant as Christopher Nolan's masterpiece. The comparison occurs much because of the similarities between the narrative structure (Backwards Storytelling, Reverse Chronology, Nonlinear Timeline) than the actual core of both films. While Memento was a revenge thriller with a two weeks span and a big influence of memory and paranoia, Peppermint Candy covers two decades of one man's life in a tale of lost innocence and alienation.

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    The 'ending' of the story - and the beginning of the film - takes place in 1999, in a riverbank, where a 20-year high school reunion/picnic takes place. That's where we're first introduced to Yongho, a well-dressed and emotionally-erratic man who wanders through the sight, desoriented and screaming his guts out. Soon he's recognized as one of the picnickers' old colleagues, whom they had lost contact with long ago. Shortly after, Yongho climbs onto a railroad bridge, seemingly with the intention to jump. But he doesn't. He stands there, faces an approaching train and in the last few seconds of his life, he screams and declares: "I'm going back!"...

    ... Which he does, in a way. Or at least we do, as the story jumps back through time, making 'quick stops' in certain times of his life and gradually revealing more and more about Yongho and the tapestry of his life. The more the story retrocedes, the more we know him and the closer we get to understand how and why he got to that point of his life, the end of it, to be exact. Whenever there's a time change, director Lee Chang-dong links them with film of a train moving backwards, symbolizing the timeline between his past and his destiny...

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    First we go back three days, filling in the holes as to who Yongho is and why he ends up in that place, in that picnic and that bridge. We find a broken, depressed man who doesn't seem to find any reson to keep living. He has lost all his money to a stockbroker, his wife has left him and he lives in a pretty decadent way. With his last bit of savings, he has bought a gun to put himself out of his own misery. However, before he can do so, he learns that his first true love, Sunim, is on her deathbed, and wants to see him one last time. The next stop is 1994, where we find Yongho juggling his small business, his unhappy marriage to Hongja, and an affair with one of his employees. In the next sequence, set in 1987, Yongho is an intimidating cop who is willing to use any means necessary, including torture, to extract confessions from government witnesses. Also, his wife is pregnant with their daughter and their marriage's dissolution starts to show. In 1984, he is a rookie cop who ends up being traumatized when he beats his first confession out of a suspect.

    But the defining moment for Yongho comes in 1980, when as a soldier, his unit is called on to civil disturbance and he ends up accidentally shooting an innocent girl who was merely walking home. When the film reaches its end and Yongho's story begins, the year is 1979 and the setting is the same riverbank seen at the beginning of the film. The picnickers are twenty years younger, and among them are Yongho, a young man full of hope and innocence who aspires to be a photographer one day, and the love of his life, Sunim.

    Of course, we already know that none of his dreams will come true, the love of his life will slip through his fingers, and he will end up a tragic figure, lonely and heartbroken on the same riverbank twenty years later.
  • skactopus
    November 15, 2008
    skactopus
    Peppermint Candy is a film that is all about character development and if you like this type of drama you will enjoy this movie.

    The span of the plot takes place from 1979-1999. Let me rephrase that. The span of the plot takes place from 1999-1979. Yes, the twenty ye

    ...( read more)ars of one man's life is told in 130 minutes and in reverse order. It all starts in 1999 with the demise of our main character, Yong-Ho. As the film progresses, or reverses, you get to see how Yong-Ho ends up the way he does.

    The nice thing about the storytelling is the fact that you get to see not only the change in Korea, but the change in character for Yong-Ho. A lot does happen in 20 years after all. On the flip side, there is nothing really eventful, with the exception of the 1980 segment near the ending. If you are not able to appreciate the slow burn drama, this will be a huge bore. Believe me when I say that 2+ hours of this doesn't fly by.

    The soundtrack is mellow and appropriate while the camerawork is professional. Both of these help with the success of this film.

    Kyung-gu Sol heads the film and does a nice job at changing personalities from the beginning to the end. The 2 female leads, So-ri Moon and Yeo-jin Kim, do good jobs as well.

    Peppermint Candy takes a nice approach with the storytelling and it deserves the attention that it gets. Too bad it isn't exciting enough for someone like me.
  • galaxea
    June 28, 2007
    galaxea
    The deconstruction of a man played out in reverse. Tragic.
  • samueljamier
    May 25, 2007
    samueljamier
    Devastating, compelling. One of the masterpieces of Korean cinema. Sponsored by valium, I guess.
  • robertovinicius
    May 24, 2007
    robertovinicius
    Ver "Secret Sunshine", do mesmo diretor Concorrente a palma e ouro
  • maikerugo
    April 9, 2007
    maikerugo
    It takes a "Memento" and "The English Patient" style approach to story telling, but this time it's with character development. You'll learn that the difference betwen the truth and the whole truth is context and history.
  • gpals91
    January 13, 2007
    gpals91
    As long as I dnt remember.. I will just give three stars..

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