Young-Chan comes from planet of snail where deaf blind people live slow and quiet lives. When Young-Chan came to Earth, nobody understood his language and he was desperate. Then an angel walked into his life. Soon-Ho knows how it is to be lonely and soon becomes an inseparable part of his life.
Never patronising nor begging for sympathy, it attempts to show how this couple experience the world, from the sensual delights of walking along a seashore to the very real ordeal of changing a light bulb. Shame the pace is so snail-like.
Neither the subject nor director ask for sympathy; what emerges is a nuanced hymn to the human spirit that still saddens, even when it inspires.
If this doesn't teach you a little about patience and gratitude, nothing will.
This is a unique love story with a universal resonance.
Life-affirming and delightful.
An absolute gem.
A subtle, moving film that ends up being as much about the give and take involved in making a marriage work as it is about disability.
Director Yi Seung-jun strives to present this as impressionistically as the documentary format will allow, immersing us more fully their world if never exactly overburdening us with background detail.
Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow from Monday August 27, 2012, until Thursday August 30, 2012. More info: http://www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre/
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