The Isle

My second favorite entry at Sundance 2001 was the Korean film The Isle. Ironically, the director who was so pleased with the American crowds at his first screening (as evidenced by his reactions to the accompanying interview) was destined for disappointed at future screenings. Reportedly, festival programmers decided to initiate an I.D. checkpoint that barred entry to The Isle for anyone under 21-years-of-age. While the graphic nature of the film certainly calls for certain restrictions, the use of the drinking age of 21, rather than the adult age of 18, as a cut-off prompted people associated with the film to question aspects of our puritan culture. And, yes, the film depicts moments of surreal unpleasantness, but it tempers these moments with scenes of great and inspired beauty — a bit like alternating licks between an ice cream cone and a car battery. You’ll certainly never forget the flavor.