PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Out of all the films I’ve watched for Fantasia 2019, Maggie was the one I was least familiar with. I like happy surprises, though, and took the opportunity to try something new. Maggie was directed by Ok-seop Yi (Girls on Top) and co-written by himself and Gyo-hwan Koo (Jane), who also stars in the film.
Synopsis for Maggie
A risqué X-ray causes a scandal in a hospital in Seoul. A nurse thinks that she and her boyfriend are depicted in the X-ray, and decides to quit her job. The next day, the hospital is deserted. Everyone has called in sick, except for two women: the nurse and the head doctor. This event is the starting shot for a strange, episodic story about confidence and faith, with an emphasis on nurse Yoon-Young’s relationship.
Maggie is an idiosyncratic debut in which, for example, the titular lead proves to be a talking, prescient catfish. Inexplicable sinkholes appear throughout South Korea and the nurse’s lazy boyfriend is put to work filling them.
This is the type of film that I would need to watch more than once to fully understand everything. It’s one that you have to really pay attention to, because there’s a lot going on with so much detail to take in. Plus, it’s subtitled. The performances are amazing, and the imagery is lovely.
Ok-seop Yi is a phenomenal director with a great vision for storytelling. Gyo-hwan Koo gives a riveting performance, capturing the audience’s attention any time she’s on screen. I definitely look forward to seeing more from her in the future.
This is such a peculiar story with dark, beautiful imagery. The imagery itself could tell a story, and that’s something to treasure. It sets the the tone for the entire film and compliments the performances perfectly.
Final Thoughts
I will definitely be watching Maggie again, and I look forward to see what others think as well. Many thanks to Fantasia 2019 for allowing us to cover great films like this one!
