By Leandro E. Seta

Written and directed by Kim Ki-duk, winner of the Berlin Silver Bear among many other prices. “Bin jip” or “3-iron”, has won fifteen international awards, including Film Critics’ awards in Korea, San Sebastian and Valladolid. With its sensitive story and silently crafted narrative, it was very well received in Europe and in America, where it is already considered a classic.

Buy This

Working placing food flyers on the neighborhood door knobs has a collateral benefit: predicting accurately which of those houses is inhabited and which has been empty for 2 or 3 days with no one picking up the flyers from the door. This information has an elemental value for our drifter hero Tae-suk, played by Lee Hyun-kyoon. He takes advantage of the empty house of a vacationing family or the apartment of a photographer on business travel and makes them his home for a couple of days. He owns the silent space, brings unauthorized life to the rooms and upon his departure leaves them almost untouched. Before he leaves, however, he fixes a stopped watch on the wall or a broken bath scale, in order to settle the score for the hospitality received.

His search for a place to stay is also the search for a place not to stay. He is using other people’s homes and belongings to avoid belonging anywhere. But, inside one of his transient home, he meets Sun-hwa played by Lee Seung-yeon. Sun-hwa observes the intruder for a while without him taking notice, then amazed by his particular lifestyle and tired of the oppression of her wealthy husband, she escapes with him. Even if they never speak to each other, they accept their company with innocence and tenderness.

From a hidden adjacent place, they makes us question: Are we using objects in the correct way? Is there another way to observe them? Are our relations with others unavoidable unhealthy or can they be simplified to perfection?

Kim Ki-duk’s direction and the editing are magnificent, as he accomplishes very much with all of his choices. Even when the main characters never say a word to each other, the story catches us by concrete scenes flowing clearly. The calm but intense environment of breaking in strangers’ houses amuses with constant pace.

The actors are not outstanding but correct, their lack of expression goes along with the idea of the spectral invisibility, underlying in the film.



Trying to understand and give meaning to every metaphor might be a frustrating idea, but if instead of that, we let ourselves go with the story, we are carried by the feeling of dual nature in things in front of our eyes. Like entering in a mirror, we find that there is a positive to every negative and a core in the middle, constructed for the characters to hide.

“3-Iron” is a solid, sensitive film, crafted with talent and emotion. Undoubtedly, a film made to endure in the history of South Korean cinema and among the favourites, from dear Kim ki -duk.