Wild Flowers review [LKFF 2015]: “Lacks a certain finish.”

Wild Flowers review: A showcase for some very strong performances.

It seems that the tragedy of teenage prostitution is something that happens the world over, and unfortunately not everyone has a Liam Neeson ready to find people and kill them. Wild Flowers looks at the painful and destructive cycle young women can find themselves in, and also how such abuse can be normalised to a degree. Its heart might be in the right place but it lacks a certain finish to make it truly have the power it believes it has.

Three young girls, Soo Hyang (Jo Soo Hyang), Eun Soo (Kwon Eun Soo), and Ha Dam (Jeong Ha Dam) go on the run from abusive pasts. Living off the streets they are soon taken into a motel, where they quickly discover they are at the mercy of a pimp and his lackey. The girls quickly make an escape, but are forced into more compromising situations as their dreams drift further away from them. The destruction of innocence is the key theme here, as the girls are forced to grow up far too quickly and deal with some very brutal treatment. It’s a cruel reminder of just how unforgiving the world can be.

One of the issues with Wild Flowers is that it often feels incomprehensible. The girls are seemingly taken captive, but escape very easily, only for one of their captives to confront them but let them go. The idea that Tae Yeong is infatuated with one of the girls is never fully explored, and this results in a confusing film where it never seems that dangerous. Characters are also separated and act in ways that is not always consistent as to how they’ve behaved previously. It makes it difficult to truly relate on an emotional level, as it becomes apparent these girls could easily escape from this life. It could be argued that they find it hard to escape in a psychological capacity and want the money from prostitution, but again this isn’t developed to a satisfactory degree.

Most jarringly of all is how the film is shot. We are subjected to handheld camerawork, which would be fine and does go some way to creating a hectic and dishevelled atmosphere, but so many shots are done in close-ups that the slightest jolt of the camera results in a very shaky image. Being so up close to the girls, while being shaken around is unbearable at times. It’s a shame, as the colourless lifeless city landscapes do look splendid when the image is still. The greenless grass, grey concrete walls, and faces drained of colour create an almost dystopian aesthetic.

The performances of the girls are thankfully incredible. It says a lot that despite a confuzzled plot and irritating camera movement, you can still be entirely engrossed by the plight of these young women. Each one is a character onto themselves and has their own problems and ambitions. Unlike the men who abuse them and see the only way to differentiate them is dying their hair, we get to know the girls. They’re not the completely innocent victims either, showing they are willing to steal and manipulate to get their way in search for a better life. One sequence sees one of the girls appeal to a taxi driver, and realising she is failing she merely resorts to repeating his name and cab ID number. It shows a distinct amount of intelligence and tells us all we need to know of the girl. The camaraderie developed is also admirable, but we also see cracks in the friendships.

Park Suk Young’s debut film certainly tackles some difficult subjects, without taking your typical demonising route of innocence vs. Evil, but it also seems very personal to a degree that outsiders will find it hard to be fully enveloped. Shoddy camerawork and poor plotting hinders what could, and really needed to be a hard hitting piece of filmmaking with a very important message. Instead, it’s a showcase for some very strong performances.

Wild Flowers review by Luke Ryan Baldock, November, 2015.

Wild Flowers screened at the London Korean Film Festival 2015 as part of their Busan International Film Festival strand.