THE ISLE | 섬 (South Korea, 2000)
Directed by Kim Ki-Duk
Starring: Cho Jae-hyun, Suh Jung, Park Seong-hee, Jang Hang-seon

Controversial director Kim Ki-duk put Korean cinema on the map with this art-house exploitation shocker featuring fishhooks, sex, surreal cinematography, and some of the most squirm-inducing shots ever put on film. A cop on the run for a crime he definitely did commit holes up on a lake where floating cabins provide weekend retreats for fishermen. The cabins are tended to by a young woman, Seo Jung, who supplies the fishermen with food, coffee, booze, and sexual gratification. She and the ex-cop bond, and before long their relationship has moved on from hugs and kisses to ice-pick stabbings and fishhook swallowing. But don’t think this movie is just out to shock you. Dreamy and beautiful, it’s all about how Seo Jung is actually the spirit of the lake, a feminine force of nature that destroys the childish men who try to bend her to their will. Too often, movies put you to sleep. This landmark of modern Korean cinema wakes you up by forcing you to swallow a fistful of fishhooks.