It has been quite a while since I last watched a South Korean film. Watching Korean films are some of the most unforgettable viewing experiences I've ever had... They just have an exquisite way of telling stories; some of them incredibly unique and otherworldly but at the core of it is always universal--always a study of the human condition... It touches the deepest crevice of the human heart. Watching Castaway on the Moon is an experience that will stay with me forever. It drew me into a universe that was all too alien and yet also all too familiar. The story centres on a man who--after failing to see any point to continue living his life--tries to commit suicide by jumping into the river, and fails. He ends up stranded on a tiny island adjacent to the river still well within the confines of the city, but is definitely unable to go back or get rescued. He struggles with this predicament in the beginning, but ultimately he learns to survive on the island and refuses to be rescued, preferring his new life to the one he tried to end. This peaceful, epiphanous respite is shaken when he receives a message in a bottle from an anonymous observer, making him aware that someone has discovered his existence on the island. This observer happens to be a 'hikikomori', a woman suffering from agoraphobia, who due to extreme social anxiety has imprisoned herself in an island of her own. These two extremely equidistant characters find their way to each other, and--even more importantly--out of themselves, and it is a poignant journey that will resonate with every fiber of one's being. Highly recommended.

It seems that not all people can look through this film. Using it as some kind of glasses to see the fragments of social condition in Korea's nowadays life. Or if not glasses, camera lens.Suicide, shutting in, harsh life, fierce work competition, debt, bullying, these are the fragments of social problems put in one motion picture. Castaway on The Moon. Initially, this film will tell you about this: "Life is such a pain in the ass." And then when the man got stuck on the small island surrounded by the city scape it tells you again: "It even kicks you out." but then you'll be told: "But it's not that bad." To me, that is the idea about this film. Life has its bitterness and its salvia flower. Life has hope and despair. It is fine. You just need to keep living. Cause when you stop, you lose the chance to see the other side of life. When you give in to despair, you'll never gonna see hope.

Over the last few years the quality of movies coming out of South Korea is so extraordinary that it is harder to find a terrible movie than a good movie.I would say that if I presently made a list of my top ten movies half of them would be from South Korea.That being said this is one of my all time favorites.The script is great, the theme is so absurdly brilliant and bizarre with illogical moves that add to the comedy rather than take away from the movie.I really cannot say anymore except I love this movie.

In the mood for a quirky comedy that also tackles the human condition? It would be hard to do better than this gem. A man's failed suicide leaves him stranded on a river island in Seoul. He is so close to civilisation, yet completely removed from it. After several attempts to escape, he resigns to his lot and starts scavenging an existence on the small speck of land.Meanwhile a woman, who hasn't left her room in three years due to her scarred face, spots him by accident as she looks through her camera. In a sense she is as isolated as he is and the two start an unlikely relationship.It's hard to pinpoint here what makes this story work so well, but it walks the line between comedy and drama without becoming either ridiculous or sentimental. It's also an impressive film considering the few characters and narrow theme. This is a unique film - one of those rare types that defy genres and even cultures. The only thing foreign about this film are the subtitles - everything else is so close to being human that anyone can relate to its story.