Critics reviews

Anchored by a stand out performance from actress Seo Woo in the difficult role of the emotionally fragile Eun-mo, Paju is a sad tale of the corrosive effects of guilt and unresolved longing.

Paju ends up being a murky, thoughtful, but over-complicated experience. The film's characters spend their screen time wallowing in guilt and uncertainty, rarely expressing themselves clearly or seeing the entire picture.

An unusual structure and deliberately opaque transitions require audiences to work hard, but each installment smartly sets up sufficient story hooks to keep the viewer engaged. Though it works primarily as a meller, the story also has some action and mystery elements that make it function like a Bergmanesque thriller.

Park is able to do something many filmmakers can’t or won’t, and that’s draw a realistic picture of modern femininity that’s blessedly free of the stereotypes that make up movie women.

Korea’s Park Chan-ok takes a big step forward with her second feature Paju, a richly layered drama about the complicated relationship between a young girl and her brother-in-law. Close to five years in the making, Paju is intimate in scale but forcefully ambitious in its rich imagery and confident handling.