Mai Ratima

COMING SOON: Yoo Ji Tae's Mai Ratima (South Korea, 2012) - Although overlong, Yoo Ji-tae’s feature debut is a promising piece of work that demonstrates his talent as a filmmaker, and given his already high profile as an actor (Oldboy, 2003), Mai Ratima, should secure a strong festival run following its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival. At the heart of the narrative is a melodrama, which still remains a characteristic of some Korean cinema, but Yoo decides to veer away from sentimentalism, and instead explores a number of social issues including the increasing number of South East Asians that have immigrated to Korea. While this is a trait found in other local films such as He’s On Duty (2010), this is a darker film, but remains strangely appealing throughout. 2012BUS.