''Out of My Intention'' () is a 2008 South Korean short film written and directed by

Yoo Ji-tae Yoo Ji-tae (born April 13, 1976) is a South Korean actor, film director and screenwriter. After a stint as a fashion model, Yoo launched his acting career in 1998 then rose to fame through the films '' Attack the Gas Station'' (1999) and '' Ditt ...

. It is the third

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

by actor-turned-director Yoo, and the first of his films to receive a public release. Lee Dae-yeon and

Jo An Jo Kyung-jin (born November 14, 1982), known professionally as Jo An, is a South Korean actress. She is best known for the films ''Lifting King Kong'' (2009) and ''My Little Hero'' (2013), as well as the family drama '' Jolly Widows'' (2009) an ...

star as the film's only characters.

Plot summary

An unnamed middle-aged man (

Lee Dae-yeon Lee Dae-yeon (born November 13, 1964) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Theater Awards and nominations References External links Lee Dae-yeonat JR Entertainment * * * 1964 births Living ...

) drives listlessly through downtown

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

on a downcast summer afternoon, with the view outside, periodically glimpsed through the car windows, fuzzy and blurred. Sitting in the passenger seat next to him is Ok-gyeong (

), a young woman some twenty years younger than he is. Although their dialogue is scarcely distinguishable with regard to its content, the two are engaged in a typical lover's quarrel. The woman is desperate to talk through their problems, but the man remains silent. Their drive along the highway is interrupted by memories of the past, which include dates taken by the lovers in the countryside, and surreal fantasy scenes where Ok-gyeong has her face painted like a

mime artist A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a theatrical medium ...

.Yang Sun-jin.
Yoo Ji-tae juggles up two jobs as actor and filmmaker
. '' Hancinema'', 12 March 2008; originally published by ''

The Korea Herald ''The Korea Herald'' is a leading English-language daily newspaper founded in 1953 and published in Seoul, South Korea. The editorial staff is composed of Korean and international writers and editors, with additional news coverage drawn from int ...

''. Retrieved 3 November 2008.Lee Hyo-won.
''Intention'' Depicts Love's Pathos
. ''

The Korea Times ''The Korea Times'' is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the '' Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language daily; both are owned by Dongwha Enterprise, a wood-based manufacture ...

'', 13 March 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2008.

Production and casting

''Out of My Intention'' is the third directorial project by Yoo Ji-tae, following his earlier short films ''Bike Boy'' and ''How Does the Blind Dream''. Regarding the brevity and ambiguity afforded by the short film format, Yoo said, "If I had made the film into a full feature, I would have had to give all of the sundry reasons and episodes about their initial relationships". Actor Lee Dae-yeon admitted to being "a bit baffled" by the film's script, but felt compelled to take the part after Yoo told him it had been written with him in mind.

Themes and interpretations

Like Yoo's earlier shorts, the central theme in ''Out of My Intention'' is one of love. The film is a blend of past and present; though the two characters talk to each other constantly, the camera almost never captures them together in one frame. The man is actually "driving down memory lane" and reminiscing about his first love, his thoughts conjuring her back to life. While he has grown old and weary, Ok-gyeong remains young in his heart, suggesting that first love never dies.

Release

The press preview for ''Out of My Intention'' received an unusual level of interest, much to the surprise of director Yoo Ji-tae. The first of his films to be released theatrically, it opened on March 20, 2008 at the Gwanghwamun Spongehouse in

, where it was given a limited screening. At the South Korean box office, ''Out of My Intention'' peaked at 42 over its opening weekend, and as of April 6, 2008, it had grossed a total of .South Korea Box Office April 4–6, 2008
. ''

Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo is an American website that tracks box-office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. The site was founded in 1998 by Brandon Gray, and was bought in 2008 by IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is ...

''. Retrieved 3 November 2008. In June 2008, ''Out of My Intention'' was screened at the Short Shorts Film Festival in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, where director Yoo won the Special Mention Award. It later competed at the

Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival The Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival (MSFF) is a Korean short film festival, intended to support upcoming young filmmakers. Since its launch in 2002, it is held every June in Seoul, South Korea. Official Program Sections The Mise-en-scène Sh ...

, held from June to July 2008, the New York Korean Film Festival in August 2008, the

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

from September to October 2008, and the Asiana International Short Film Festival in November 2008.Yi Ch'ang-ho.
AHN Sung-ki to present Asiana Short Film Fest
. ''Korean Film Council'', 23 October 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2008.

Critical response

Lee Hyo-won of ''

'' described ''Out of My Intention'' as an "audiovisual poem," albeit a "rough draft," and noted the director's "ability to orchestrate subtle emotions" in spite of the film's short running time, going on to say, "Yoo takes full advantage of the film medium, creating an ambiance from what is included and excluded in the mise-en-scene." The review also praised the contribution of the cast, saying, "Lee gives the film a nice gravitational pull, weighing down the fluffy parts, while fresh actress

... embodies youthful vigor and beauty.

References

External links

* * {{kmdb film, 09421 2008 films 2000s Korean-language films South Korean short films