MEMENTO MORI is a South Korean ghost story and follow-up to the similar WHISPERING CORRIDORS, although the two films are unconnected in terms of plot. They're both set in girls' boarding schools and involve similar situations with female bonding and sadistic teachers, but there the similarities end. While watching MEMENTO MORI, it soon becomes apparent that this is an extremely atypical horror film: it's more of a touching, tragic love story between two lesbian school friends rather than anything else. It turns out that the director had no desire to make a ghost story featuring any of the traditional ghostly stuff from Asia, but the producers forced him to add some ethereal menace to appeal to the ready fan base.
I found the film to be one of two halves. The first forty-five minutes is stodgy, dull and slow: it's a depiction of school life full of interchangeable characters and unappealing sequences. I found little to keep me watching, but persevered nonetheless and was rewarded by an improved second half, which actually features intriguing plotting and some intelligent, well-filmed moments. The ghostly stuff is kept to a minimum other than in a few situations, and it works better that way. It's not a film which I can actively describe because doing so will spoil it; but if you're looking for an unusual take on a usually familiar genre then this might be up your street.
I found the film to be one of two halves. The first forty-five minutes is stodgy, dull and slow: it's a depiction of school life full of interchangeable characters and unappealing sequences. I found little to keep me watching, but persevered nonetheless and was rewarded by an improved second half, which actually features intriguing plotting and some intelligent, well-filmed moments. The ghostly stuff is kept to a minimum other than in a few situations, and it works better that way. It's not a film which I can actively describe because doing so will spoil it; but if you're looking for an unusual take on a usually familiar genre then this might be up your street.