Daisy Korean Film on YouTube Review

Impressionism in Cinema by HK Director Andrew Lau & Korean Cast

Mar 17, 2009

Ji Hyun Jun is Hye Young, a female artist in an unusual love triangle set in Amsterdam. Stars heartthrobs Sung Jae Lee & Woo Sung Jung of Good, the Bad, the Weird fame.

This Korean romantic melodrama may not be available on DVD for some regions, but viewers can watch all the episodes via YouTube. Unlike most melodramas, Daisy is light as a feather, a breath of fresh air. Hong Kong director Andrew Lau Wai Keung, better known for films like Infernal Affairs trilogy and Initial D, gathers a Korean/Hong Kong/Thai cast and crew for this beautifully atmospheric film.

In Daisy, a love triangle forms between Japanese hitman Park (Woo Sung Jung), a female artist (Gianna Ji Hyun Jun) and an Interpol policeman (Sung Jae Lee). Everyday, a mysterious man sends daisies to artist Hye Young, but she mistakes him for cop Jeong Woo and falls in love with the wrong man. Daisy ends in tragedy which makes it melodramatic, but the cinematography and music score are flawless.

Impressionism in Cinema

Director Andrew Lau takes a very different approach to filming, in Daisy. Lush fields and flowing rivers are panned in long takes which are then frozen, as if nature is enjoyed then captured in snapshots. This same theme repeats when Hye Young’s grandfather takes photos of her. All this creates a feeling of portraiture, a romance which comes alive in Amsterdam’s fairytale-like surroundings.

Daisy is also unique as narration is shared by three characters. Most of the dialogue is narrated rather than spoken. Point of view narration can confuse, but it works brilliantly in Daisy. From Park’s story about his soiled psyche to Hye Young’s romantic fantasy, and finally to Jeong Woo’s gritty story of crime chasing, Daisy uses seamless editing to move the story from idealism to realism.

Painfully, artist Hye Young later loses her voice and can only be ‘heard’ through her paintings, her answering message and in the music soundtrack. But what a beautiful soundtrack! Tchaikovsky’s Juin (Barcarolle) flows through the film, wistfully and joyously, carrying the emotion. Original music by Kwong Wing Chan and Shigeru Umebayashi adds human voice to the fragile emotion – the end song Daisy/Hey is touching in tearjerker fashion.

Storytelling & Thriller Romance

Writer Jae Young Kwak does a superb job with subtitling. Short phrases whet the audience’s appetite without giving all away. Daisy seems more like poetry than melodrama in this respect. What also lightens up Daisy is the clever thriller story that sets the background. Park Yi (Woo Sung Jung) is a hired hitman who purges his soul by growing daisies; Jeong Woo is after drug dealers. After Jeong Woo crosses Park’s path unknowingly, he teams up with Detective Jang (Ho Jin Jeon) to find the assassin. Each character’s role in this ‘game’ is constantly juxtaposed: who really is the cat, who the mouse? Yet killer and policeman are adamant about protecting Hye Young’s innocence, by hiding the truth. Hye Young's tragic end therefore suggests that art and reality are utterly irreconcilable.

Lead Actors: Ji Hyun, Woo Sung & Sung Jae

Woo Sung Jung takes on the Herculean task of discoursing in Japanese, Chinese and native language Korean. Multiple languages create a cosmopolitan ambience and depict Park Yi as a skilled professional. Seen lately in Good, the Bad, the Weird, Woo Sung Jung possesses a reticent quality and mischievous spark. Sung Jae Lee as Jeong Woo appears playful, but his cryptic looks and answers mask his wariness.

Gianna Ji Hyun Jun is alluring as the sweet and innocent Hye Young. Departing from a spritely My Sassy Girl persona, Jun plays a forlorn Hye Young that can break hearts. It is no wonder that Hollywood delights in remaking most of the films she has starred in lately.

The copyright of the article Daisy Korean Film on YouTube Review in Asian Films is owned by Lynette S.K. Webster. Permission to republish Daisy Korean Film on YouTube Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.