U.S. DVD Release
Have you ever wanted to change something about your body? Perhaps have your nose re-sculpted or your breasts enlarged? How about liposuction or a face-lift? In America plastic surgery is common but not so common just anybody can get it done. It’s expensive, dangerous and painful and your average middle-class housewife just doesn’t have the resources to get the kind of plastic surgery movie stars may receive. Imagine a country though where plastic surgery is a way of life…it’s inexpensive…it’s everywhere and it’s encouraged.
According to the BBC News, the pursuit of ul-jjang or “Best Face” is the “in” thing right now in South Korea. Thousands of women visit plastic surgeons to have their breasts done and their eyes Westernized. Even more shocking still, 50% of South Korean women in their 20’s have had some form for plastic surgery! A South Korean women’s magazine even claims South Korean women in their 20’s spend over 30% of their income on ul-jjang!
Now here’s the really terrifying part of it all…thousands of women get operations everyday and according to the BBC there are only 1,200 certified plastic surgeons which means a large portion of these women are going under unlicensed knives! South Korea is filled with psychiatrists, radiologists and even gynecologists performing illegal plastic surgery on these women and the government doesn’t seem to be even slightly concerned!
I can’t even begin to guess how many women, on a daily basis, are being mutilated and scarred for life. How horribly ironic that many naturally beautiful women would pursue this “Best Face” ideal only to end up hideously deformed; mere shadows of their former selves.
After learning a bit more about ul-jjang and the statistics surrounding it I found Cinderella to be a bit more interesting than I had initially felt after watching it. I realize now writer Sohn Kwang-soo was attempting to tackle the Korean society’s obsession with beauty. Unfortunately, Sohn’s message, combined with unlikable characters and less-than-stellar scares, did nothing to set this apart from the current pack of lukewarm K-Horror currently out there.
There’s big trouble in Southern Korea when Hyunsu’s friends begin acting strangely and dying after having undergone plastic surgery administered by Hyunsu’s mother. Not quite sure what’s going on Hyunsu begins digging and discovers her hidden childhood! Could poor Hyunsu have been hideously disfigured? If so, what connection does her childhood share with her friend’s deaths?
Hyunsu’s Mother carries a dark, dangerous secret that no longer wishes to reside in the basement and demands the childhood Hyunsu stole.
I can’t go too deep into the film without ruining the “big surprise” but it’s twisty enough to satisfy those Asian horror cinema fans willing to sit through the entire film. In my opinion though there’s really nothing here that would interest casual horror fans.
I think one of the biggest problems with this film is the subject matter. Despite America’s obsession with beauty, there’s still a stigma attached to plastic surgery here. We tend to view plastic surgery as unnecessary and those that get it shallow. That probably explains why I found myself caring not one iota for this film’s characters or the twisted irony of their demises. Sure some may be able to muster up a little sympathy for Hyunsu as I probably could of as well had she had a bit more acting range than “emotionless face” and “emotionless face with tears.”
Cinderella wasn’t horrible but it definitely failed to be great. It just sort of sat there on the fence sporting a blank stare, clutching a Scooby thermos in its mediocre hands. It did threaten to fall backward once or twice into forehead slapping melodrama but was able to regain its balance after a few well placed little scares. While it did teeter on the brink of bad it never once threatened to fall forward into greatness and offer us something new and different and that’s why Cinderella won’t likely stand the test of time when it comes to classic South Korean horror cinema. Really there isn’t much replay value here so be sure to rent before purchasing.
All cracks about mediocrity aside, Tartan Video have released a well balanced DVD that includes an anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital 5.1 Suorround Sound, DTS Sourrond Sound 5.1, readable English and Spanish subs, a “making of…” featurette and original trailers.
If you’re interested in checking out Korean horror cinema I’d recommend passing on Cinderella and checking out films like A Tale of Two Sisters, Acacia and Whispering Corridors. Good luck.
