I had to watch Daijiga Umule Pajinnal (The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well) twice to really appreciate the balance with which it managed to build together and weave a story of love affairs, deceit, betrayal and envy. I struggled the first time, in my tired state, and found the film quite boring, finding that snails move faster than this film. Upon a second, refreshed sitting, the real depth of the film and the (disturbingly) ordinary, vile behaviour of the characters came to light.

The film is rather ordinary and focuses on the lives of a group of who are loosely connected through a strange string of coincidental meetings. Hyo-Sub is a struggling writer, barely able to make ends meet. With no friends, and those that he does have despise his lack of respect for them, he lives a solitary life with most of his time spent trying to sell his book.

Hyo-Sub does have one thing going for him, and that is the affections of two women. One is a married woman named Kyeong who secretly liaises with Hyo-Sub for secret weekends together, with her husband oblivious (but suspicious) to her actions. The other is a young girl, once a student to Hyo-Sub who looks up to him as some God-like. It’s obvious the latter has deep affections for Hyo-Sub, but in a childish, uncomprimising manner – the type of pure love that wouldn’t be taken seriously by someone who wanted to have his cake and eat it.

It’s never explained how Hyo-Sub met Kyeong, but we can assume it’s from some past history. The realtionship hinges on a strange jealousy that builds between the two – Kyeong is jealous of Hyo-Sub’s commitment more to his work than her, and Hyo-Sub feels envious and suspeicios that she may be sleeping with her husband. Of course the latter would only be natural, and it comes across as almost a shcoolboy relationship, with the conspiracy and deceit that is played by the both of them.

What’s interesting is how there are no real victims in the film. Even those who pertain to purity and innocence, soon develop and grow into self-reliant adults

Of course the suspicious husband is not as innocent as he seems. We see him travelling from place to place, doing his best to find work but soon his own desires, how own dceitful behaviour rises to the surface, revealing a darker, equally vile truth about the hypocrisy of their marriage, and his own sexual desires fulfilled not by his wife, but by others.

Daijiga Umule Pajinnal could never be mistaken for a feel good film, as the story is drenched with tragedy and negativity. It’s an observation of seemingly innocent, and ordinary people who live under this guise while executing the type of behaviour you hear old women gossiping about. It makes their lives more interesting, but it’s portrayed in a way that is frought less with danger, and more with impracticality and guilt.

It’s very subtly directed, with little in the way of caemra movement. We see long, timed shots of particular scenea, that give a sense of reality and focus. It takes away from the distraction or the busy environment, make the whole thing quite understated and methodical. The development of the characters is also carefully managed, with no sudden change in behaviour – they are the core who they are, but continue to play the role of innocence in the presence of others. It’s perhaps an example of how most people live in general, and how we don’t really know who we think we know.

The film is rather ordinary and focuses on the lives of a group of who are loosely connected through a strange string of coincidental meetings

What’s interesting is how there are no real victims in the film. Even those who pertain to purity and innocence, soon develop and grow into self-reliant adults, mature enough to make the decisions they want to attain their goal. The connection between the characters seem to be selfishness, and the need to please their own egos, regardless of the effect and impact it would have on the lives of others. This is accentuated by several key moments in the film, which are brutal to watch, but support the loneliness they have replaced with self-service.

As stated earlier, the pace of the film can be quite atrocious at times, and this was what truly bothered me intially about the film. It’s a good film, but I have seen old people using zimmer frames move faster, and this is much to the detriment of an otherwise very enjoyable and poignant picture. I couldn’t really recommend it, unless you have an extremely focused attention span. The pace, coupled with the ordinary nature of the whole film creates a sort of monotonus feeling of everyday life which, although welcome, is perhaps too monotonous for the average viewer.

I expect many would fall asleep, or simply watch something else half through the film, hoping for some spark of life from the characters who’s presence on the screen is that of well acted shallow people. You do feel empathy for one character, in the entire film, the rest are rather abhorrent – but even then, that one character becomes another example of the ever present need for self-satisfaction. The same claim could be laid at the film itself.

Verdict: A deep, poignant piece on selfish desire, marred by poor pacing and its own self-absorobtion.