I'm A Cyborg, But That's Okay (2007) Movie Information:

I'm A Cyborg, But That's Okay (2007) Directed by: Chan-wook Park I'm A Cyborg, But That's Okay (2007) Written by: Chan-wook Park, Seo-Gyeong Jeong I'm A Cyborg, But That's Okay (2007) Cast: Lim Soo-Jung, Jung Ji-Hoon, Choi Hee-Jin, Lee Young-Nyeo, Sohn Young-Soon, Lee Kyung-Eun, Joo Hee, Lee Young-Mi, Chung Sung-hoon, Kim Choon-Gi

I'm A Cyborg, But That's Okay (2007) U.S. Distributor: Not available at this time I'm A Cyborg, But That's Okay (2007) U.K. Distributor: Tartan Films

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I'm A Cyborg, But That's Okay (2007) Synopsis:

A girl who thinks she is a combat cyborg checks into a mental hospital, where she encounters other psychotics. Eventually, she falls for a man who thinks he can steal people's souls.

I'm A Cyborg, But That's Okay (2007) Movie Review:

Clearly wanting to take a break after his acclaimed vengeance trilogy, filmmaker Park offers us a quirky, surreal love story set in a wacky mental hospital. So utterly unhinged that it's not easy to engage with, it's still strangely charming.

Young-goon (Lim) is a sparky young woman who starts believing she's a robot, so naturally she plugs herself into the power grid. This is perceived as a suicide attempt, and she's sent to an asylum, where she meets the shy Il-soon (Jang). Quietly smitten, Il-soon sets out to help Young-goon in any way possible, believing he can steal personality traits from other patients. The big problem is that Young-goon believes that food will harm her, and her batteries-only diet leaves her wasting away. So time is running out for Il-soon to save her.

Even with a witty, light-hearted romance, Park can't resist adding dark edges, including a growing sense of violence as Young-goon imagines turning her recharged weapons on the "white ones" who imprison her. Her doctor (Choi) has no idea what's happening in her mind, including issues going back to her grandmother (Sohn), who believed she was a mouse. The entire cast plays it with a kind of wide-eyed wonder, strangely grounding the absurdity in a submerged authenticity.

On the surface, the film is a hilarious bundle of colourful characters and personality tics, as the whizzy camerawork reveals tiny details in every scene. The crazy behaviour of the inmates offers an almost overwhelming number of running gags, including Young-goon's hilariously food-obsessed roommate (Park), a patient (Lee Young-mi) who constantly weaves colourful stories, a painfully paranoid boy (Kim Choon-gi) and a girl (Joo) who yodels while dressed as a Swiss maid.

Intriguingly, Park isn't poking fun at all; there's a strange dignity to each person and their communal social system. But the jarring mix of comedy, violence, romance and sadness makes it impossible for us to fully sympathise with any of the characters. Still, the film is consistently, enjoyably outrageous and finds a surprising sweetness in Il-soon's quest to save Young-goon. And a kind of deranged genius in Park's take on the seven deadly sins.

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I'm A Cyborg, But That's Okay (2007) review written by: Rich Cline