Samaritan Girl

An occasionally strange narrative about two apparently innocent schoolgirls, one that becomes increasingly grim as the film progresses. Certainly in the closing episodes, the film acquires the unpleasant power that made Kim Ki-Duk’s Bad Guy (2001) so unforgettable. The bosom friends Yeo-Jin and Jae-Young are saving up for a journey to Europe. That’s why Jae-Young works after school as a prostitute. It’s a lucrative business. Elderly gentlemen in particular fall for the angelic schoolgirl. Yeo-Jin is the souteneur. She arranges the appointments, does the administration and stands guard. One day she is less attentive and only sees too late that the police are raiding the building where her girlfriend is at work. Jae-Young jumps out of the window and dies. Yeo-Jin is consumed by guilt. She decides to take over the role of Jae-Young, and not only does she work for free, but she also pays back the money the customers had paid her friend. At this point, the film acquires a rather different character. When Yeo-Jin’s father, who is a police detective, finds out about her activities, the tone gets increasingly hard. The father starts a personal crusade against his daughter’s customers. The film comprises a variety of religious references, for instance to the Buddhist whore Vasumitra and to the Christian story of the good Samaritan. Apart from this, however, it is anything but religious or even moralistic. Even more than in Kim’s previous films, the viewer is left to judge. (GjZ)