The Old Garden

Audience Reviews

View All (15) audience reviews

Audience Member In Im Sang-soo's adaptation of Hwang Sok-yong's novel The Old Garden, the director's reverent approach to the original material clashes somewhat with his own mainstream pretentions. Im handles the initial melodrama expertly, aided by brilliant character representations by Ji Jin-hee and the criminally underrated Yeom Jung-ah, but as the political backdrop creeps into the foreground, Im gradually loses his grip and becomes tentative, ending it all pretty much out of tune. At it's best however, The Old Garden actually captures some of that serene beauty of Hwang's original text and the way it perfectly manages to marry the revolutions of society and heart. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member It looked promising, but then disappointed me as it progressed. In the end it just left emptiness and a feeling of boredom. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Clearly a little too sentimental, but some wonderful moments. The phone call scene where the father calls his daughter impersonating a friend of the mother's is wonderfully shot, and the ending is surprisingly low on melodrama, given its content, and compared to the rest of the movie. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member A little too sentimental, but a beautiful film. It's not difficult to understand! The storyline could have been better! Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Although not entirely free from the common disease of Korean movies (a little too sentimental, a little too melodramatic), it tackles a tough topic with relative sobriety. You won't get the wit, though, if you're not familiar with South Korea's troubled 20th century history - which leaves very few as potential audience outside Korea. The tragedy will still come through, I guess - but will more likely remain somewhat banal. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member it's easy to get lost in the beginning, so you have to pay close attention to changing details. but, otherwise, the movie was beautifully depicted, with great acting and scenery. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Old Garden

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW