Daisy

In Amsterdam, hired Killer Park-yi (Woo-sung Jung) while on a job in a quite countryside spots, and instantly falls for Hye-young (Ji-hyun Jun), a young street painter who was visiting the secluded location to paint a field of daisies for a coming art contest. While trying to cross a log bridge she slips and falls into a shallow creek. She is able to climb out, but loses her backpack to the current. Witnessing the fall, but unable to reach her in time Park-yi manages to salvage her backpack and soon after decides to build her a wooden bridge so that she can cross into the field with ease, and also leaves her backpack for her to show that the bridge is for her. Back in town he is unable to bring himself to approach his new love, so he decides to leave her a pot of Daisies every day. He also watches her from his window as she paints on the street trying to secretly visualise his life with her. Little does he know, Hye-young has fallen for her secret admirer and wants nothing more than to find him. Enter the third peace of this love triangle, Interpol Agent Jeong Woo(Sung-jae Lee).

Jeong Woo is in town on assignment to track down and apprehend a gang of traffickers, who as fate would tell, is stationed directly behind where Hye-young paints her portraits. To get a good vantage point Jeong woo decides to pose as a customer, and have her paint his portrait. After returning a few times not only does he find himself falling for her, but our poor street painter is now convinced that Jeong Woo is the mysterious stranger leaving her flowers, and immediately falls in love with the wrong man. Unable to admit he is not her secret love he goes along with it. His little white lie begins the inevitable showdown that would lead to a series of tragic events that are better left unsaid. . .

Daisy is a co-production between Hong Kong and South Korea, and helmed by half the Infernal Affairs directing duo Andrew Lau. Who is best known for his dark Hong Kong thrillers; however he is able to pull off the Romantic Drama genre very well. One thing that shows strongly with this film is Lau’s wonderful visual style, using some superb shots to add to the films overall tone. It’s a beautifully told, but bittersweet story that is lead by an absolute stellar cast. It is a perfect role for the uber-talented Ji-hyun Jun, who is best known for her roles in other Korean melodramas like il Mare, Windstruck, and of course My Sassy Girl. Her on screen charm carries this film very well.

It must be noted that this review is based on the original Korean version. I have not seen the longer Directors Cut, but it’s been said that version is quite different and superior to this one. This version of the film does carry with it a slight bias towards one of our male love interests over the other, which is supposedly more balanced in the DC. If this is true I can see this in itself being an improvement. However the DC with be watched and will no doubt deserve its own separate review.

8.5/10

A Film by: Andrew lau