Traces Of Love (DVD) (Director's Cut Edition) (Japan Version) DVD Region 2

The film begins in 1995 with newly qualified attorney Hyun Woo (popular actor Yoo Ji Tae, best known for his role in Park Chan-wook's classic Oldboy) and his fiance Min Joo (Kim Ji Soo, also in Romance and This Charming Girl) happily in love and about to move into their first apartment together. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes as Min Joo is caught up in the horrific collapse of a shopping mall (a real life incident which claimed the lives of over five hundred people and injured more than a thousand), leaving Hyun Woo alone and lost in the world. Ten years later, he is still unable to get on with his life when he receives a package containing a travel diary written by his lost love which describes a series of places she had hoped they would visit together. After trouble at his work leads to an enforced holiday, he decides to follow the path laid out in the book, only to repeatedly encounter Se Jin (actress Uhm Ji Won of Tale of Cinema and Running Wild), a strange young woman who seems to have a connection with Min Joo.

Although the plot may sound like a recipe for the kind of bittersweet tear jerker so often favoured by Korean directors, Traces of Love is actually a far more complicated and subtle film. Taking a national tragedy and drawing from it a very intimate and personal story, Kim focuses on themes of acceptance and closure rather than romance, and thankfully avoids any of the emotional cheap shots which might have been expected, with very little of the running time being devoted to the usual angst-wallowing, and with shots of characters staring mournfully into the rain kept mercifully to a minimum. The film is quietly poignant without ever being too sentimental, and this makes the proceedings feel both natural and believable, and as such it works well as a moving journey of healing and renewal. By working in themes of corruption and social injustice, Kim adds further dramatic depth in a way which complements the central tale and helps to keep things interesting by referencing the changes which time has wrought not only on the characters but the country as a whole.

Anchoring the film and providing it with a solid sympathetic core are the three central characters, all of whom are well written, with Kim dedicating most of the film to their gradual development. This does mean that the pace is fairly slow and meandering, though never dull and with a considerable emotional return during the later stages when secrets are revealed and life changing decisions are made. The acting is of a uniformly high standard, with Yoo Ji Tae in particular turning in a great performance as the tortured Hyun Woo, bringing to the role a touch of genuine sorrow whilst managing to avoid looking like a kicked puppy too much of the time.

Arguably the film's greatest strength is Kim's direction, which is excellent throughout, whether during the spectacular chaos of the accident and the sadness of its aftermath or the beautiful scenery of the characters' later journey. The influence of Korean master Im Kwon Taek (with whom he previously worked as an assistant director on the likes of Sopyonje and The Taebaek Mountains) is certainly apparent, and he shows the same kind of open, unhurried approach and similar use of symbolism, here involving the changing seasons in all their glory as a reflection of the never-ending cycle of life. This is nicely underscored by the way in which the film moves around chronologically, with Min Joo and Hyun Woo's past and present journeys unfolding in parallel.

This works far better than the awkward time travel gimmicks employed in the likes of Il Mare and allows the film to move towards a kind of spiritual convergence which is both satisfying and believable. Certainly, Traces of Love is a far more mature, thoughtful and indeed heartfelt effort than others of the genre, and one which should appeal to viewers who would normally steer clear of such overtly emotional dramas, being a technically accomplished and engaging film in its own right.

by James Mudge - BeyondHollywood.com