MichaelHanakemeetstheBlairWitchProjectinKimGok'sExhausted,aviciouskickinthepantstoeveryoneintheaudience,allinthenameof"style."Amanmeetsamutewoman,andasanyreasonablepersonwoulddoinsuchasituation,makesherhisprostitute.Butthepimpingistheleastofourproblems.Aswegetexhaustedbythegrainyfaux-16mmcamerawork,thefilmgetsincreasinglyderanged.Theclosestthingwegettoasympatheticcharacteristhepimp,simplybecausehe'sgottoomuchself-respecttofuckamutewhore.Everyoneelseiseitheragorymess,oragorymessindisguise.Eventheprostitute,whichevenathuglikeLarsvonTrierwouldmakelikeable,comesoffasadeliriousscarywomanwhoseshrieksstrikelikeblowstothejugular.
KimGokhasseeminglyabandonedtheMarxistcritiquesofhisshortfilms,goinginsteadformindlessbrutalitywhichculminatesinanendlessbloodyfreak-showinvolving,amongotherthings,apairofscissorsgoingwherepairsofscissorsshouldnotgo.Inthemiddleofthebloodbath,wegetanextendedlongtakeofthebeatenprostitute'snear-deadface,butitdoesnotelicitsympathyorpity.Infact,imagesofthevictimonlymakeusshyawayinshock.(Indeed,theextendedsequenceledtocontinuouswalk-outsduringthePusanscreening.)Thelongtakeinvitesustostare,butitassumeswe'reassadisticasthevictimizer(andthefilm)is.Meanwhilethesound-effects(mostlyarumblingbasslinethatshakesthetheater)pulsateswithpurewickedness.WithHanake,shockcreatesreflection,whichasksthatwebecritical.Here,weonlywanttoescape.IsupposeExhaustedhassomevirtues;theshotsofdrillingmachinesandfactoriesprovideamesmerizingphallicbackdroptothepimpandprostitute'spursuits.Buteverythingelsehurtstoomuch.AtleastKimKi-dukletsusbreathe.ExhaustedmakesBadGuylooklikeLadyandtheTramp.(asiaarts.ucla.edu)
