Ab-Normal Beauty [DVD] [2004]

Up until just after the half-way mark in this film I was riveted. I felt myself pulled into the downward spiral of a damaged mind, a girl abused and ridiculed as a child whose suppression and guilt has led to a morbid fascination with death. And as she gives full reign to that fascination reality starts to unravel for her, she becomes more than fascinated, she becomes obsessed and psychosis sets in. This film is a masterful study of that damaged mind and how fragile our grip on reality can be. How seductive escapism is, whatever shape it takes. How many of us yearn to disappear into the dark places we hide inside ourselves? And Jiney goes there, only to be dragged back, kicking and screaming, by the woman who loves her. A fantastic portrait of a distressed mind.

But, sadly, after this point the film reverts to type. Not to say that what follows is not well made - it is and I was enthralled by it, but the opportunity to make a really powerful film about obsession and mental fragility and escapism was lost. A serial killer storyline, not unlike Saw or elements of Millennium (TV not film), appears and although well made and gripping, turns what was an outstandingly accomplished piece of psychological insight into a very well made genre piece. It's a shame. The same director's film 'The Eye' transcended the Asian ghost film genre to make a story that was truly horrifying, but because of what Mun could see and what that meant to her, rather than because of the innate scariness and terror of what was going on. In many way Pang used the ghost story genre to make his character-driven point, but in this film the last half-hour seems to run at total odds to the powerful dynamic created in the first hour.

It's still a good film, worthy of viewing, but I for one felt let down by the descent into genre stereotype. There are any number of decent serial killer films, but there are very few even half-decent films about psychosis and it's very real effect on all our lives. A case of defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.

As the previous reviews might suggest, Ab-normal Beauty (2004) is something of a difficult film to pin down; both in terms of its abstract visual style and the actual presentation of the plot. In terms of appearance, the film is a visual labyrinth of warped neon colours, moody lighting and the occasional splash of cold, stark monochrome, all added to further reflect the inner world of the central character; in this instance, a young, misfit photographer becoming obsessed with the notions of sex and death. Further complications are created by the interesting use of narrative; with the film starting out as a kind of sinister art drama with a serious psychological subtext, before eventually changing gears in the second half and becoming an altogether more unusual experience. In this respect, I would draw a natural comparison to two very recent Japanese films, Takashi Miike's Audition (1999) and Takashi Shimizu's Marebito (2004); two films that use the conventions and, to some extent, more recognisable iconography of the horror genre, without ever really becoming horror films in the traditional sense. Also, like those two particular examples, Ab-normal Beauty tends to surprise - and perhaps even infuriate? - its viewers with the bold switches in narrative texture and the occasional disregard of logic.

The first half of the film is slow, subdued, beautifully shot with sporadic moments of surreal violence presented in a distant, dreamlike manner that stresses the characters' disconnection from society. The scenes in which she sets up and photographs various monstrous, decaying objects is masterful; creating a warped sense of beauty that seems as far removed from the horror genre as you could possibly get. As the character continues to stock-pile these images of death and decay - including that first fleeting moment wherein she snaps the aftermath of a car accident, or a tense and thrilling scene in which she documents the suicide of a man from the top of a tall building, one devastating frame at a time - we get hints of something else beginning to take shape that won't truly become apparent until right at the very end. Until then we must wonder where the film is going; with the first half of the story seeming at times to be more like a biographical drama about a tortured artist losing their grip on reality and the world around them and, as a result, creating their own world in which murder and sex become dangerously inter-twined and beauty can be found within the piles of decapitated chickens and the damp, soaked carcass of a rotting dead bird.

Describing in more detail the switch in tone and texture that occurs somewhere towards the end of the film might be considered too much of a spoiler, especially given the ideas, mood and atmosphere so skilfully established during these first forty minutes. That said, I don't think the eventual unravelling of the narrative is quite as random as many of the other reviewers seem to suggest, with a number of scenes, particularly those between Jiney and her sort-of boyfriend Anson foreshadowing many of the elements of power, humiliation, sex and violence that will reoccur during the eventual twist in the tale. It's fascinating stuff, but again, as with Audition and Marebito, could prove to be somewhat disappointing to anyone expecting a conventional horror film; with the lingering mood of ambient dread and voyeuristic terror conveyed in the more psychological first half recalling some of the more tense moments of Oxide Pang's earlier co-directed hit, The Eye (2002) - and similar Asian horror films that arrived in the wake of Ju On: The Grudge (2000) and Ringu (19998) - being completely replaced with something much darker, grittier, physical and explicit; tapping into the territory of Eli Roth perhaps, although it's worth noting that this particular film was released a good year before Roth's near iconic Hostel (2005).

Whether or not the ending really works is a question for the individual, though I suppose it would be easy to view it as an extended fantasy sequence in keeping with the character's dark descent into the depths of her own tortured imagination. Regardless, this for me is still a great film; one that creates a mood and an atmosphere perfectly pitched between elements of fantasy and reality, and riddled with images that are bold, striking and completely unforgettable. It is the style of the film and the strange wavering atmosphere in which every character seems to be a potential victim or victor that really pulls us in; enticing us with a story of fear, regret, terror and paranoia, leading us down numerous narrative blind alleyways, convincing us that all is well and that we've emerged from the psychological wilderness and then BAM! - they hit us with the hard stuff. Understandably it won't appeal to everyone; it begins slowly and takes time to pick up the pace and never make a conscious effort to appease conventions of genre or narrative expectations. However, anyone with a fondness for interesting, challenging and edgy world cinema should enjoy the fantastic atmosphere and lingering traces of horror presented to us by this fine piece of work.

Ab-Normal Beauty is directed by the Pang brothers who also directed the movie "One Take Only." The protagonist is a female art student who becomes a witness to a car accident which is a catalyst to her starting obsession with photographing death up close. She also becomes obsessed due to her somewhat marked past thus leading to some actually very satisfying psychological moments though not too complex at all.
The mood in the movie has a certain charm and the cutting keeps true to the story's progression. The use of flashbacks is also very effective though this is far from a new technique. They are necessary elements though because they add to the overall experience of the story and some actions of the protagonist would be kept in the dark or unanswered without them.
The movie is actually quite good seen in the light of the pscyhological themes that are presented in the movie as well as the emotional scenes in which one witnesses a young woman's vulnerability due to a stained past which is acted out pretty well and seems believable. One of the things that pulls the grade down is the somewhat dissatisfying ending which could have been interesting, but is not quite fulfilling compared to the movie's overall standard. This movie is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars because it is entertaining, but fails at the end...