Hangul Celluloid: Wet Dreams (2002 South Korea) Review

Yoo-ri (Kim Seon-ha) is an apprentice teacher who is sent to an all boys' school as part of her training. There she is reacquainted with her old high school teacher, Byung-chul (Lee Beom-soo), on whom she developed a crush while she was his student. Yoo-ri's appearance at the school also sets the hormones of her new pupils raging and they decide that at least one of them must get to sleep with her, or at least see her panties. However, one of the boys, Dong-hyun (Noh Hyung-wook), is quickly falling in love with Yoo-ri, and must try to find a way to make her feel the same way about him, and ensure that she forgets about Byung-chul...

It almost goes without saying that Wet Dreams centres on the subject of adolescence - that time in everyone's life when the ticking time bomb of puberty finally detonates in a hormonal explosion of newly awakened sexual feelings and raging desires - and, as such, the film is as much of a nostalgic trip through the memories of youth as it is the story of the specific characters involved. That in itself almost instantly guarantees viewer empathy, and since even Yoo-ri's current wishes and desires were formed during adolescence (with the feelings awakened during puberty having been the driving force behind the majority of her actions ever since), Wet Dreams serves its purpose equally well for male and female alike.
While a veritable plethora of "sex comedies" exist from all over the world which deal with a fairly similar subject matter, Wet Dreams was really the first example from South Korea, but far from simply being a rehash of any of the other films (many of which were more gross-out than actually funny), it successfully beats them at their own game by adding a noticeable air of innocence and genuine fun to proceedings.
The humour is universally well realised throughout, repeatedly referencing occurrences, thoughts and feelings that cannot fail to ring true to anyone thinking back to their own youthful experiences (melons and cup noodles notwithstanding), and though some of the set pieces will clearly be recognised from the more famous examples of the genre, Wet Dreams goes to great lengths to bring a freshness and gentle warmth to each, firmly dispensing with every hint of cynicism found in so many other films of its type, in the process.

The underlying innocence of Wet Dreams melds beautifully with that of the characters of the schoolboys throughout and, as most of them are so virginal that they are desperate to even know "what a woman's looks like", the depictions of their constant preoccupation with sex (never mind their endeavors to actually get to a point where they can have it) need largely only be implied, rather than being shoved in your face - so to speak. Even the moments within the film which feature some nudity, or could be described as being of a slightly more graphic nature, are dealt with in such an intelligent manner that they manage to be laced with humourous innuendo while still remaining utterly playful and innocuous. Perfect case in point is the choice of one of the boys, of how to explain the appearance of the female genitalia to his friends, involving the most graphic sexual imagery you could ever imagine being derived from nothing more than seafood and chopsticks.

Regarding the overall plot, the constituent elements of Yoo-ri's love for her teacher, Dong-hyun's growing feelings for Yoo-ri, and the schoolboys' increasingly raging hormones are all given equal billing. The humour is fairly evenly spread between the three, while the two main (hoped for) relationships provide both the requisite romance and a degree of understated melodrama, and while the film as a whole won't dramatically change your opinion of the genre, it will, at the very least, make you feel more predisposed to viewing this type of movie with an open mind, in the hope of finding another example which is as innocently warm, genuinely funny and beautifully moist as Wet Dreams.

Cinematically, Wet Dreams is a fairly accomplished affair, but it is thanks to the combined efforts of director Jung Cho-sin and cinematographer Park Che-wook that the various set pieces work so successfully. On repeated occasions, it is the choice of framing, camera angle and the smallest of storyboard "extras" (especially in the scenes involving food) that raise the humour to a virtually laugh-out-loud level, and allow the more straightforward, serious elements to sparkle, almost vicariously as a result.

Cast:

The entire cast of Wet Dreams give great performances throughout, and though none stand out as noticeably jaw-dropping, there really isn't anything that warrants particular criticism of any kind. Each provide exactly what their roles require and in a light-hearted film such as this, that really is all that's needed.

Though viewers will no doubt have seen many of the elements and set pieces of Wet Dreams in a number of other "sex comedies" from virtually every corner of the globe, here they are imbued with a noticeable freshness, innocence and warmth, and, thankfully, lack the cynicism prevalent in so many movies from the genre. Close to laugh-out-loud funny in places, Wet Dreams is a nostalgic trip through the memories of adolescence.

Cast:

The DVD edition reviewed here is the Korean (Region 3) 2-Disc Special Edition from Bear Entertainment, which has as an anamorphic transfer with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1.
The DVD itself comes encased in a heavy duty deluxe case containing a standard amaray package. A cartoon-type booklet (written in Korean) on various aspects of the film is also included.
Image quality is impressive with a clean print being used for the transfer. There are no image artifacts present or ghosting present.
The original Korean language soundtrack is provided as a choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby 2.0, and each is clear and expansive.
Excellent subtitles are provided throughout the main feature, but English speaking viewers should note that there are no subtitles available on any of the extras.

DVD Details:

• Director: Jung Cho-sin
• Format: NTSC, Anamorphic, Widescreen, Subtitled
• Language: Korean
• Subtitles: English, Korean, None
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby 2.0
• Region: Region 3
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Classification: 15
• Studio: Bear Entertainment
• Run Time: 98 minutes (approx.)

Audio Commentary
'Making Of' Featurettes
Cast & Crew Information
Trailers
Photo Gallery
Easter Egg
Interviews