The Isle begins with a man, Hyun-Shik (Yoosuk Kim), that arrives to a remote lake, possibly connected to the ocean, with what seems to be all of his belongings.  A birdcage with a bird is among the items that Hyun-Shik brought, which has a symbolic meaning as he removes himself from land by renting a small hut floating on a raft.  There is no connection with land, except by a woman and her old boat, but it seems to be what Hyun-Shik seeks as he begins to dwell on his wrongdoings that led him to seek shelter at this remote location.  In deep contemplation and agony Hyun-Shik considers to commit suicide as he has apparently killed someone of importance in a moment of vengeance.  It becomes an overwhelmingly internal struggle for Hyun-Shik whether to pull the trigger, or not, as he weeps out his anguish.

The other main character is an emotionless woman, Hee-Jin (Jung Suh), who watches over the lake and the inhabitants of the many huts that she rents out.  In many ways Hee-Jin behaves like a fish as she nurtures her visitors as if they were her babies.  She brings them food and frequently ventures to the cabins at night to give herself to the visiting men.  There is no emotional connection for Hee-Jin with the men, it merely seems to be something she does for some unknown reason as she does not say anything, or ask for anything in return.  However, one of the men that Hee-Jin copulated with insults her by throwing money in the lake, which is an analogy that expresses the man's way of displaying how it was a waste of time and effort.  In anger Hee-Jin acts out in the middle of the night while the man who offended her is about to make a nightly toilet visit into the lake.

When a person is aware that he or she cannot experience compassion, feelings, or emotions it becomes a quest to conquer what most people find to be an ordinary experience in order to remain strong.  Hee-Jin discovers Hyun-Shik suicidal and weeping in a pathetic display, yet she feels something, which she cannot define.  Hee-Jin begins to explore what she felt by killing frogs and fish, which she attempts to feed to Hyun-Shik's bird.  In loneliness Hee-Jin drinks alcohol without effect as she approaches Hyun-Shik with the bottle, which the man presumes to be a sexual invitation.  As a result, Hee-Jin hits Hyun-Shik and returns to land as she insults him by hiring a prostitute for him, but she discovers something called envy.  This leads the unbalanced couple into an eye wrenching display of bizarre self-disfigurement as they strive to remain within a tormenting relationship that is embedded in pain and suffering when Hyun-Shik seeks distance.

The director, Ki-duk Kim, portrays Hee-Jin and Hyun-Shik in an internal struggle where the affection for one another expands as they discover more about each other through gut wrenching scenes.  The artistic background of Kim is evident as the Isle becomes a stunningly beautiful film to view as several scenes depict skilled framing of each scene.  It should be mentioned that Kim's later films Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003) and Samaria (2004) display his visual cunning as they also offer the audience visual analogies that are planted within the film for the audience to ponder.  Some of these seeds that Kim sows within the visuals of the Isle display several notions that should be be reflected upon such as existentialism, Darwinism, moral issues, and emotions.  Kim succeeds efficiently to grasp the audience and force them to ponder, as the film leaves most of what is depicted to the audience's own interpretation.

DIRECTED BY

COUNTRY

South Korea

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