Film: Memories of Murder

Today, my fourth film in a row(!). I finally got to see Memories of Murder, a South Korean thriller based on a real-life case - the country's first serial killer. Directed by Bong Joon Ho, who also directed the excellent Parasite, it stars Song Kang-ho, who also starred in that. Showing, one day only, in The Garden Cinema - and again, selling out, so I booked. And when I flagged in The Hideout's WhatsApp group that my review for Friday (and yesterday) was finally up, one of them, upon reading it, decided to book for that as well, which was nice!

Being a Sunday, the bus flew in - no traffic problems. I got there a bit early, got a glass of wine, and being a bit peckish, also got a bar of Tony's Chocolonely, which they stock behind the bar. It comes in a variety of flavours, but I went with the regular milk. Managed to get one of the booths beside the bar:

My companion found me there, and we chatted until it was time to go in - the film, as usual, was preceded by a short introduction, in which a film journalist (they forgot to put his name up until after he was finished!) asked for a show of hands for who hadn't seen it before, and, upon seeing probably most of the people raise their hands, promised us we were in for a treat..

Parasite is the only other of this director's films that I've seen - but I really like both. Not to mention the personable Song Kang-ho, who starts this film as a jovial, bumbling police detective (Park) in a rural backwater in 1986. The methods employed by the local police aren't exactly cutting-edge: torture is routinely employed to secure confessions (which are rehearsed), the station's only female detective is pretty much ignored, and they don't have the technology to analyse samples forensically - they have to send them to the States. So when girls start turning up dead in the locality, it's a problem.. hell, even with just one body, Park is at the end of his tether, running around trying to stop people contaminating the crime scene..

He has this theory that he can tell whether a person is guilty just by staring into their eyes. He's not terribly impressed, then, when a young hotshot detective arrives from Seoul and is openly dismissive of the local police's tactics. But even he finds himself flummoxed by this strange case.

As we were promised in the introduction, this is a film in which you really don't know what is going to happen next - the director was apparently determined to avoid classic Western detective themes. It starts rather like the Keystone cops, and there are plenty of laughs to be had as we watch how they go about things, and the clashes between Park and the outsider. But there's a point where it starts to get really serious, as the body count mounts.. and from then on, we're on tenterhooks, willing them to get their man. Mind you, apart from the murders, there's a sense of tension from the start, with air raid drills common in the streets (due to a constant threat from North Korea).

Yep, really liked it - and what a shocking case. Indeed, at the time of the release of this film, the murderer still hadn't been caught - and by the time they did figure out who had committed the crimes, would you believe it, the statute of limitations had run out for them. Hey-ho, the man is already in prison for the rape and murder of his sister-in-law, at least.. A memorable case, and a striking representation of it in film. Glad to have seen it at last.

Well, just as we were heading out.. we found ourselves looking at a downpour! Now, my weather app never mentioned that.. indeed, I checked it again, and it was still giving a "10%" chance of rain. Huh. Naturally, we headed back down to the bar - and a massive queue of people with the same idea. We finally got drinks, and explored the cavernous basement looking for free seats - finally got a couple when some others decamped. And we spent some more time chatting as we finished our drinks.

She then headed off - she had also booked for the Proms this evening - and I headed to Nando's, the rain now having stopped. Where it took ages for anyone to seat me - and ages for my food to arrive - and when it did, the garlic bread was burnt. Still, it was very welcome - and for once, someone even offered me another glass of wine, and let me pay at the table! It's ages since I've had that in a Nando's.

And on the way home, came across more Palestinian support..

Tomorrow, heading with CT to a concert by Wayne Marshall in the Summer Organ Festival in Southwark Cathedral.

Tuesday, I've pencilled in yet another film - Drommer (Dreams), part of an Oslo-based trilogy. In this one, a girl develops, and writes about, her intense crush on her French teacher - her mother and grandmother, finding the writings, are shocked, but also really impressed with the quality, and decide she should publish them.. again showing in The Garden Cinema, and I'll have to skive off slightly early again to make it.

On Wednesday, my one Meetup of the week - Up in the Cheap Seats are doing a couple of things, and I chose the musical Sing Street, which sounds fun. Based on a film I saw some years back, it's set in Dublin in the 80s, and focuses on schoolkids trying to start up a band. Playing in the Lyric Hammersmith.

On Thursday - yes, film again.. heading to Young Hearts, that night only in the Curzon Bloomsbury. And being in the office again that day, I can walk to it.

Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend to check the house is still standing and the cat still remembers how to purr. Flying there with Aer Lingus because Ryanair was so ridiculously expensive.. back with Ryanair though.

And back in London on the 11th, again I'm headed to the Summer Organ Festival with CT - this time, the performer is Simon Horgan.