Call of God

Ki-duk's legacy is a troubled one, and it's up to the individual to decide what to do with that, but it's without a doubt that he left behind a unique body of work. Call of God [Kõne Taevast] is his final film, and it was finished by a close collaborator of his after his death. It's a fitting end to an oeuvre that struggled with darkness and beauty and tried to marry these extremes, often with success. It's a bit of a bummer that Ki-duk's final films are difficult to come by, but that won't stop the people who appreciate the films he put out.

Sexual allegations forced Ki-duk to leave his home country. He settled down in Latvia, where COVID would eventually get the better of him. He continued to make films after his move, and that change of scenery turned out to be quite interesting. Budgets faltered, but that didn't hold him back in the slightest to keep making films that perfectly slotted into the rest of his oeuvre. Call of God is the type of film you'd expect Ki-duk to direct, only it's without a Korean cast and setting. A sign that there's a strong and very personal vision behind the films he made.

Strip away the slim fantastical layer, and you're left with a film about a romantic relationship between a man and a woman. The initial romance fades quickly and is replaced by a more possessive and toxic force, one that is counterproductive to their efforts of staying together. The fantastical touch is slight but essential, as it adds an extra layer of intrigue. It offers the woman the choice to continue the relationship even after it tuned bad, exploring the push and pull and eventual escalation of a situation that is seemingly disadvantageous for both parties.

A young woman wakes up and goes out to work. On her way, she meets a charming man and they start a conversation. When a thief jumps in and steals her purse, the man runs after him and retrieves her goods. She agrees to have dinner with him later that night, and a new romance is about to pop off. But then she's awoken by a call. The man on the other end tells her that she's dreaming, and that the dream will only become a reality if she commits to it. And so the woman goes back to sleep, hoping to peek into her future. No romance is perfect though.

The cinematography was more polished than I expected from a Ki-duk production. He usually goes for a rawer, more intrusive style, whereas composition and use of color play a more central role here. The sepia look definitely made things a little easier on the eyes, and the sudden dash of color at the end provided a nice contrast. It's not that the film is pushing any visual boundaries, the aesthetic tricks on display are tried and tested, and it's not that Call of God is an unexpected visual marvel, but it's nice to see this in a Ki-duk film for a change.

The score is a step up from the norm, too. Again, it's not as if Ki-duk was trying to reinvent the wheel here, but the music was more fitting and the timing felt a little tighter. I'm guessing these are smaller details that will go unnoticed by many, but it helped me to ease into the film quicker. The music is the usual piano/string-based fare, but with a slight electronic finish. The ambient noises have been muted for extra effect, giving it a more solemn and personal feel. Certainly not the most innovative approach, but it's effective and well-executed.

I'm not going to lie, seeing a Ki-duk film with non-Korean actors is a bit weird and I needed a short transition period to get used to it, but the two lead actors are very capable and even though subtlety isn't a primary concern in Ki-duk's film, they did manage to pack in some nuance into their performances. I also got a bit of a Nouvelle Vague vibe from their interactions, though I'm not sure how intentional that was. The secondary cast is mostly absent and only there as elements for the lead duo to interact with, so you'll be forgiven is you don't remember them afterward.

The early romantic encounters between the two are cute and flirty, but it doesn't take long before their relationship starts to spiral into toxic territory. Jealously quickly rears its ugly head, demands are being made both ways, and soon enough things feel more like political negotiations between warring states than romantic entanglements. Still, the escalation doesn't get as violent as you might expect (or fear), this is a somewhat more subdued Ki-duk film, but if you dislike physical and mental abuse, a warning is probably in order, as things do get rather confrontational.

And so comes an end to the work of a tormented, struggling man. Despite not being able to finish the entire thing himself, Call of God is a fitting finale to his career. It's a film that oozes Ki-duk, though skips the roughest and harshest edges of his older work in order to offer a glimmer of hope for the future. Call of God is a potent drama, stylishly presented, sporting a fine cast and easily differentiated by light fantastical touches. It's a shame one has to dig deep to even have the option to watch this film, but fans of Ki-duk will surely find a way.