Desertman84
Ditto is a South Korean science fiction and romance film directed by Kim Jeong-gwon. It stars Yoo Ji-tae and Kim Ha-neul.The plot of the film is similar to that of another movie released in 2000, Frequency, in that two people separated in time are somehow able to talk to each other using amateur radio. When high school student So-eun (Kim Ha-neul) accidentally becomes the owner of a ham radio, she begins an airwaves correspondence with In (Yoo Ji-tae), who attends the same high school. The two decide to arrange a meeting under a clock tower, but when they miss each other they realize that they exist 21 years apart: So-eun lives in a politically tumultuous 1979, while In, situated in 2000, is a member of the relatively worry- free Internet generation. The film to explores the themes of national identity and love across time.There performances are above average especially from Yoo Ji-tae and Kim Ha-neul.Also,the movie's direction is commendable as it was shot in naturalistic style.And most of all,the movie will gain impact to the viewer as it has great storytelling as it allows the viewer to gain curiosity as it was presented in the story.
princebansal1982
I am familiar with the setup of the movie and frankly it is a contrived one. But the lead actress Kim Ha-neul who plays Yoon So-eun in the movie, just hooked me in. She has given a wonderful performance.I would recommend this movie only to fans of romantic movies. If you are coming here for Sci-Fi link, then you should probably give it a miss. I did like the film, but I thought it could have been much better. The relationship between the characters of Yoon So-eun and Ji In could have been developed in a better way. Are they friends, soul mates or acquaintances ? It is not really clear. Similarly the relationship between Hyeon-ji and Ji In is half baked. We don't know whether he likes her, lover her, tolerates her or what ? But in the end they just package the things neatly anyway leaving the audience with the feeling of having missed something.
aerslife
from what you have already heard about this film it may remind you of a movie released in 2006 called 'Lake House' a cheesy love story between Keaun Reeves and Sandra Bullock mainly based around them communicating a year apart from each other and realizing they're 'meant to be' love for each other.Ditto (the English name of the movie) has only a basic connection to 'Lake house' It's main difference is the two characters are 21 years apart in their communication to the past or future. This allows the story to be handled less of a love story between the characters but as an exploration of how their 'long distance' relationship affects the two characters lives and in unexpected ways. In my opinion we have to many clichéd, formula love stories. Moving away from that, and dealing with the portrayal of relationships in a mature, realistic way pushes the film from being just an ordinary love story, to being a wonderful film.Moments of the film however seemed rather strange. The mannerisms of the characters and some of the ways of doing things seemed foreign and stereotypical to Korean culture. Begging the question of whether or not Korean cinema is as accurate of Korean life style as Hollywood is of western lifestyle.It also seemed that bits of the movie were 'lost in translation' with background details like signs not being translated to English , or not having translation for what characters are writing down. As well some of the language is awkward and unfitting for the situation when translated, however this is only a mild complaint because the general message was portrayed beautifully.In conclusion, Ditto was a wonderful film, handled with maturity and elegance. It is well worth the read, and will leave you feeling satisfied.
SoulxSide
Wow... what a beautiful film. Sure - it had some problems, but overall I have to admit that I liked it alot. If you've ever seen Frequency (with Dennis Quaid), the premise will seem familiar to you. However, this film doesn't focus on the same things. Where Frequency was more of a "guy's movie", Ditto was more of a romance/drama/girl's movie. Even so - I liked it more than I did Frequency. Just to warn you - the following may contain some slight spoilers (depending on your definition of a spoiler), but nothing that would ruin the experience for you.Ditto is about two college students (a young boy and a young girl) from different times who (due to some strange and unexplained phenomenon) are able to communicate with each other by way of ham radio. They don't realize they are in different times at first... They go to the same school and agree to meet at a certain location. They both show up, but since they are in different times their paths don't cross. After talking for awhile - they figure out that they are indeed talking to each other despite the fact that he is living in present day Korea (2000) and she is living in a very different (war torn) Korea circa 1979.Now - the romance isn't quite between these two characters as one would think... if I explain too much it would give away the surprises...
The production values are top notch - the film and transfer look beautiful - as they should - but exceptionally so. The cinematography is outstanding. There is some great use of color throughout the film - especially in the beginning. The music is tranquil and beautiful and fits with what's being shown. As with most Korean films, this one is very stylish. Not so much in a commercial way - but in an artistic way. I found a few scenes to be too slow - plenty of slow motion shots... a few were unnecessary, but overall it added to the tone of the film.It is a slow moving drama, so don't expect any of the excitement from Frequency. There are no murders to thwart or dead mothers to bring back. It still manages to be a powerful film though. I can't recommend it enough actually. It's certainly not for everyone - but if you like drama/romance - you're in for a treat with this film... as long as you can handle films with such a leisurely pace.I should add that the acting is good - there are a few characters that are a bit one dimensional, but since they aren't pivotal to the main storyline it's forgiveable. I'll be honest here as well and say that it didn't end the way I wanted it to - still, I was satisfied with the ending. After almost 2 hours, I was wanting to see more. I like films with a time-travel theme, so I was excited to see it in the first place.