Innovative but messy and over-the-top

Rating: 7/10 (21 June 2019)

9 star rating from YMS and a Palm d'Or. What have we here? A dark comedy from a great Korean director going back to his roots? Nois. I'll make sure I pay close attention to this one.
As expected, this film is good. However it could have easily been bad, if not for the brilliant cinematography, strong directorial sense, and most of all, thought provoking messages and philosophies that don't hold back at reflecting the brutal reality of class in our society. However, you aren't here to see me laud, you want to know why I don't hold it in as high regards as everyone else.
The film feels messy. Although the comedy is often effective, I don't think it fits well enough in this context. The story is innovative, though it does feel familiar in certain parts. The sudden mood changes aren't my cup of tea as well.
A lot of the plot points are just too over the top. They can be distracting. They can be too weird, especially regarding the climax/ending (you'll know what I mean). There are little bits of details that never got an answer till the end; or maybe I need more time to think about them, who knows. Lastly, the message is a little bit too obvious and shoehorned in.
It is hard to talk about the many aspects of the film without spoilers. At the end of the day I'll still highly recommend this film because, after all it is a good film, and supporting lesser known but highly acclaimed directors is always a good gesture. But I'm still in the process of figuring out why people love it so much. I guess I'm not too appreciative of Korean films considering my 7/10 rating for The Handmaiden, but this is open to change, and if you are willing to engage in well mannered discussion with me, I may learn to like it much more than I do.