Tell Me Something
dir. Youn-Hyun Chang
Fri May 17
Clinton Street Theater

Against a dim backdrop of muted colors and sleek surfaces, the scarlet drench of torrential blood is the star of Tell Me Something. A Korean thriller directed by Youn-Hyun Chang, the film follows a detective's search for a killer who leaves dismembered bodies in plastic garbage bags in elevators, under bridges, and on the freeway. Some aspects of the plot seem a little too tried and true, such as the surgical methods by which the murders are executed and the wide-eyed, diminutive woman who links the victims. We've seen medical murders before. And attractive, sensitive ladies suddenly embroiled in icky situations and sexual tensions--we've seen that, too.

Given the subject matter of the film, it is somewhat surprising that violence doesn't make up more of its focus. Victims are alive, but anesthetized and unconscious, as the killer amputates their limbs and heads with a scalpel while rocking out to a favorite CD. More thrilling are the discoveries of the garbage bags containing mismatched bits of the bodies. In one scene, panic ensues in an elevator when the bag is broken and a hysterical woman does a face plant into the puddle of gushing blood. In another, the bags are hit by a car on the freeway, causing an impressive pileup of cars and trucks bouncing off each other and into the medians.

Although satisfyingly grisly, the violent scenes are few and far between. The bulk of the film is a cerebral whodunnit of clue-chasing and autopsy reports. It demands a fairly high level of attention from the audience in order to follow the development of the story, and continuously teases with fake-out resolutions before plunging back into mystery and new leads. Without engaging in the details of the plot, it could easily seem convoluted and dull, as it does not depend on gross-out shots to carry the film, entertainment-wise. Predictably, the film ends with a final surprise that leaves an odd sense of resolution, simply because it seems proper for a movie that unabashedly falls into the rank-and-file template of suspense thrillers.