Planet of Snail
A sweet, if slow-moving, love story about a deaf-blind poet and his physically disabled wife.
Young-Chan and his wife, Soon-Ho, share a tender moment.
DIRECTED BY SEUNG-JUN YI (South Korea/Japan/Finland, International Spectrum)
Monday, April 30, 9 p.m.
TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King Street West)
Wednesday, May 2, 1:30 p.m.
ROM Theater (100 Queen’s Park)
Sunday, May 6, 2 p.m.
TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King Street West)
Sometimes real-life love stories are more extraordinary than anything in Hollywood screenplays; Planet of Snail is proof in point. The doc tells the story of the love between a Korean couple: deaf-blind Young-Chan and his physically disabled wife, Soon-Ho. Their romance is beautifully portrayed, and the tender care that each pays the other is well documented. Unfortunately, director Seung-Jun Yi has trouble keeping everything moving at a watchable clip.
The film is partly a peek into the couple’s daily life, partly a glimpse at their love story, but it doesn’t go quite deep enough into either, and it takes too long to get to both. It’s a film the viewer wants to love, featuring a couple worth rooting for—but not for 87 minutes straight.
The intimate moments the couple share shine through even the slowest parts of the film. Seemingly mundane tasks like changing a light bulb, watching a play, or chatting with friends over dinner take on new meaning. This is a story of true partnership, deep love, and the process of merging two lives into one. It’s a look at two people in their own world, independent from others, but almost completely dependent on each other. If you’re looking for a love story that’s off the beaten Hollywood path, this one’s worth a watch. Just be prepared for the film to move at, well, a snail’s pace.