Jung Suh, Yoosuk Kim, Sung-hee Park

Mute Hee-Jin is working as a clerk in a fishing resort in the Korean wilderness; selling baits, food and occasionally her body to the fishing tourists. One day she falls in love with Hyun-Shik, who is...( read more  read more... ) on the run for the police and rescues him with a fish hook, when he tries to commit suicide.

Be aware of animal cruelty and prostitution.

Flixster Users

73% liked it

4,952 ratings

Critics

75% liked it

32 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: Ki-duk Kim

Release Date: September 1, 2000

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DVD Release Date: May 20, 2003

Stats: 303 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (303)


  • November 22, 2009
    The first thing I did immediately after watching this, was to grab the dvd case and read the synopsis to try to understand the hidden theme to the film.

    The dvd synopsis claims ?The Most sexually perverse movie to hit our screens since David Cronenberg?s CRASH?

    Totally untr...( read more)ue, yes it has sex in the film, but certainly not to the degree of ?CRASH?

    Also says:

    ?Asia Extreme at it?s best? ? sadly I feel it?s Asia Extreme at it?s worse.

    In truth it surprises me I made it to the end, it seems a much loved film, I just can't see the brilliance.
  • May 15, 2008
    This is a painful and gorgeous film. Not sad. Painful. And gorgeous. And painful. Be advised that there are a couple scenes in this film that rank up there as a couple of the most difficult scenes to endure in cinematic history. You don't actually see anything, but it's clear wha...( read more)t's going on and it is essential to the meaning of this movie. You will squirm in your seat. Guaranteed. And if animals being harmed in the making of a film bothers you, and you consider fish and frogs animals, stay away.
  • March 21, 2008
    A creepy, gruesome, gorgeous, obsessive, violent, nasty relationship.

    A harsh love story between two people beaten down by life and unable to express themselves except through pain. It hardly relies on just the shock value, which it has plenty of, but shows the acts commited a...( read more)s an ultimate expression of need.

    Great cinematography and Ki-duk Kim's direction are the main reasons I enjoyed it.
  • February 25, 2007
    Another very sick Korean movie, shot out-of-focus, and with very little dialogue about a group of people living on floats on a lake.
  • July 19, 2009
    This is definitely not a film for all tastes. The Isle not only shows some of the most disturbing images on film ( animal mistreatment) but it also makes the viewer work hard to figure out what it all about. Specially the very last scene which I think was put there for each viewe...( read more)r to make they're own interpretation.There is so little dialogue that this is almost like a silent film..

    There's people violence in the film too, there are some cruel moments in the film, and there's a good deal of dark intrigue.The film just didn't seem quite meaningful to me. I could certainly have done with more dialogue and more compelling characters, this would have helped me understand more of what the film was trying to say. I did not like it. Not my type of film.
  • October 19, 2009
    A unusual love story to say the least, Kind of a love hate relationship with fish hooks. Dont ask! Very well filmed and acted.
  • August 9, 2009
    Even though this is a very good film, I think it is definitely the most overrated film in Kim Ki-Duk's filmography. The cinematography is beautiful, as are the locations, or um, location.. I will just say this if you're a fan of fish, stay far away.. but if you're like Chris Coop...( read more)er and you just wake up one day and say fuck fish, well, there's many random acts of violence towards the little fishies for ya.
  • July 21, 2009
    yes this is not an action movie... at all.. but damn its beautiful. nice little story.. silence.. strange people... good one.
  • July 20, 2009
    Doesnt Seem..........interesting enough i guess
  • July 17, 2009
    My kind of love story. Fucked up, sadomasochistic, cold, isolated - who needs dialogue?

Critic Reviews


May 4, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

A creepy, gruesome, gorgeous and flabbergasting treatise on romantic obsession and violent, nasty male-female relationships. full review

January 31, 2003
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Beautiful, angry and sad, with a curious sick poetry, as if the Marquis de Sade had gone in for pastel landscapes. full review

View more Seom (The Isle) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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