a subversive slice of Seoul life that’s both funny and heartbreaking
Oasis (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 27
Fresh: 24
Rotten:3
Average Rating: 7.7/10
Consensus: Lead actress Moon So-ri's stand out performance gives this harrowing film much of its power.
Theatrical Release:May 7, 2004 Limited
Synopsis: Jong-Du is back on the streets after serving a prison term for a crime that was actually committed by his brother. In an awkward attempt at reconciliation, Jong-Du seeks out the family of the man... Jong-Du is back on the streets after serving a prison term for a crime that was actually committed by his brother. In an awkward attempt at reconciliation, Jong-Du seeks out the family of the man killed in the hit-and-run accident. Even though he is shunned by the victim’s family Jong Du becomes intrigued by the man’s daughter, a young women sticken by Cerebral Palsy. After a number of secret encounters and outings, the handicapped young woman and the reckless young man fall in love. The couple is confronted by the harsh reality of a discriminating society. Restaurants refuse to serve them. Strangers ostracize them. Matters are made worse by the opposition of both families to their relationship. Still their love continues to grow, almost oblivious to the forces trying to tear them apart. One night, Gong-ju invites Jong-Du back to her apartment where they make passionate love. When her brother arrives on a surprise visit chaos erupts as the depths of their relationship are finally exposed. -- © Lifesize Entertainment [More]
Starring: Kyung-gu Sol, Nae-sang Ahn, Seung-wan Ryoo, Gui-jeong Chu
Starring: Kyung-gu Sol, Nae-sang Ahn, Seung-wan Ryoo, Gui-jeong Chu, Jin-gu Kim, Byung-ho Sohn
Director: Lee Chang-dong
Director: Lee Chang-dong
Screenwriter: Lee Chang-dong
Studio: Lifesize Entertainment
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Reviews for Oasis
Makes you pay a dear price before getting to the sublime beauty of such a disturbing film.
It has some rough spots - but the more you think about this movie, the more you care about these characters.
Its honesty and avoidance of comfortable closure make it a refreshing change from the sort of phony uplift such stories ordinarily receive on the screen.
A brave film in the way it shows two people who find any relationship almost impossible, and yet find a way to make theirs work.
The actors' scenes together are simultaneously abrasive and oddly gentle: two untamable people trying to stabilize each other.
Oasis is the kind of film that is a must for any serious film buff...and the adventurous movie-goer who isn’t afraid of a little challenge.
There's always a danger when lead roles are disabled characters to make them too sympathetic. A deft touch is required, and Lee delivers.
A dark, off-putting film that offers spare insights but may not be worth the effort it takes to view it.
It sounds like a pervy after-school special, but Oasis features one of the year's most remarkable performances.
Lee's humanitarian plea for tolerance is one of the most original films of the decade, and Moon provides the soul.
Both leads make the romance convincing, and Jong-Du even becomes sympathetic despite being almost insufferably thick-headed.
A love story of two young people marginalized by family and society that becomes a scorching indictment of the indifference, cruelty and hypocrisy of those institutions as the couple inevitably come into profound conflict with them.
Take my word for it: Oasis is one of the most deeply felt love stories of the screen in ways that you must endure a little suffering of your own to appreciate.
The lead performers have collected prizes at international festivals, and deservedly so. They play their roles with such courage and compassion that one sees the souls of the characters rather than their afflictions.
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