"Peppermint Candy" was really a nice surprise of a movie. Initially it started out a little bit strange and slow, but the story quickly kicked in and got under my skin. And once that happened, the movie just swept me away.

The movie starts out where we see a very trouble man at a reunion of sorts and he ends up committing suicide at an oncoming train. Then the story leads us back in time, lettings us travel to crucial points in the man's past, seeing what caused the man's current state of mind at the suicide point. So this was a reverse travel, seeing how the man's psyche changed gradually.

I must say that "Peppermint Candy" was really a beautiful movie, and it was a real visual treat to watch. Especially the train scenes, watching the train drive on the track, but it was filmed in reverse (just pay attention to the surroundings around the tracks, and you will see),and that was a major important factor to the movie, as it was metaphorical for taking us further back in time, to another milestone in the main character's history.

"Peppermint Candy" is a strong story-driven movie, but it is also driven by some amazing acting performances. The actors and actresses really did great jobs with their given roles, and they made the movie really come to life on the screen. Especially Kyung-gu Sol (playing Yong-ho) did an amazing job with his acting, just as what he did in the 2002 movie "Oasis". He is phenomenal at this kind of serious acting.

This is another great movie from Third Window Films, and they do deal in movies that are not mainstream Hollywood types of movies. So these movies might not be suitable for the average audience, but appeals to a more sophisticated and mature audience, who want more than just mindless entertainment, but prefer something with depth and meaning, something to challenge us and make us think. And "Peppermint Candy" is just that kind of movie.

If you like Korean movies, and like movies that are heavy on the story-driven aspect, then delve into "Peppermint Candy", because it is really a breathtakingly beautiful movie, and the story is so well told that it will stick with you for a while. And the reverse chronological order in which the story is told was just a touch of genius.

Peppermint Candy is the second film from South Korean director Lee Chang-dong. It tells personal history of a man whose troubled experiences leave him greatly disturbed.It stars Sol Kyung-Gu,Moon So- Ri,Kim Yeo-Jin,Ko Seo-Hee and Seo Jung.The movie starts with the suicide of the protagonist and uses reverse chronology to depict some of the key events of the past 20 years of his life that led to his death.It was written and directed by Lee Chang-dong.

Peppermint Candy starts in the spring of 1999. A group of old friends gather to celebrate their 20 year reunion. Among the group is Yeong-ho, a cold, unhappy man, whose demeanor puts a damper on the festivities. The seriousness of Yeong-ho's depression becomes apparent, however, when he climbs a railroad bridge and looks like he might jump. At this crucial moment, memories of seven crucial episodes from Yeong-ho''s past flood his mind.

When the Peppermint Candy started with the lead protagonist killing himself,Director Lee Chang-Dong made it a point that this film is not for entertainment.It tells us a story of a man who was corrupted by society wherein he lost his innocence and sense of idealism along the way that led him to a destructive end of his life.The movie was told in reverse chronological order which started with Yeong-ho's suicide in 1999 and it ends with Yeong-ho's life as a happy and innocent young man in 1979.It was divided in seven parts it presents how his life was devastating as the 20 years go by from being a failed businessman and husband,an abusive policeman,a military soldier who accidentally kills somebody and an idealistic young lover in parallel with changes in South Korea's history and society and his vulnerability towards them.The acting,direction,cinematography and the screenplay were definitely excellent and outstanding.

Overall,I can only give nothing but praises to this film about a story of innocence lost.

"The source of Yong-ho's misery materialize only during the penultimate flashback in 1980, a pestilent accident during the Gwangju Democratization movement forever traumatizes him, which also leaves him with a physical mark (his malfunctioning leg) as a visual cue. Only when we are furnished with the whole picture, could we apprehend who should be responsible for Yong-ho's road to perdition, and PEPPERMINT CANDY asserts itself as a fervid testament against toxic masculinity and reprehensible aggression that are bred rampantly under the umbrella of South Korea's core militarist fabric."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks.