Do you see dead people? Do you ever wonder whether what goes bump in the night is something that is not quite real? Does everything you perceive fit nicely into your neatly organised rational world view?
Well, if you answered yes to any of the above three questions, then Face may very well be a film you have sympathies with. It seems to be quite fashionable in Korean films to involve the supernatural and the dead in a very real sense that intrudes upon the living and it is that pervasive sense of the supernatural in Face that hints at it being a ghost story when, really, at its heart, it is more a murder mystery and thriller.
That sense of mixed genres certainly shakes the perceptions somewhat such that what starts as a rather suspenseful haunting slowly transforms into a subtle romance with forensic investigation as a backdrop and wraps itself up all rather neatly in the end. Without trying to pigeon hole itself into the one idea, in viewing the film there is always the question of how all the various plot elements tie together and yet still having the core story continue along without going onto unnecessary tangents.
That being said, the use of the supernatural is used perhaps once too often as a plot device to really justify the film as any real whodunnit and ultimately becomes not much more than a ghost leading a murder investigation (though I don’t know why, if the ghosts are that pervasive then why just don’t they just write their name in a steamed mirror or something) while the living build up evidence until they hit a dead end and the ghost steps in once again as a deux ex machina to prod them back onto the right direction.
The chemistry between the two leads is the standard expectation of a recovering widower (this time a metaphorical ghost holding him back) and an eager apprentice looking to impress. She’s keen and he’s surly. If there’s subtext there then it may very well get lost in the translation. That does lead into one weakness of the Korean DVD in that some pertinent plot points don’t get translated, but it’s not without exposition and context so luckily it’s possible to work out what’s going on. Oh and it may be a just a personal thing but the impact of the climax was lost upon me somewhat because of my ‘whiteness’.
Despite the focus upon the faults of the film, Face is actually quite good viewing with an interesting story with the occasional scare to keep you interested. Although various elements seem to be completely unrelated, have a bit of faith as it all ends rather neatly. Like many things, however, once you know the punchline, it’s just not as funny.