To show off the video capture capabilities on their new flagship phone, Apple commissioned a few directors from different parts of the world to each make a short film, shot entirely using their new iPhone 13 Pro phone. One such director was Korean maestro Park Chan-wook, who went ahead a made “Life is But a Dream”, a short entirely out of his comfort zone.
In the dark of the night, a villager digs up an old grave and robs it of the high-quality lacquer coffin, an action which awakens the spirit of the person buried with it, an umbrella-wielding swordsman. The swordsman follows the villager home, adamant on killing him and taking his coffin back but hesitates when the villagers pleads for his life and tells him that he stole the coffin to lay to rest a benevolent person, a woman known as the White Marten, who saved the villagers from the clutches of a loanshark. Hearing the story, the swordsman decides to spare the man and take back his coffin, but now, the spirit of the White Marten refuses to let the swordsman take the coffin, which she now deems her property and final resting place, and the two decide to fight it out between themselves.
Park has shown us his comedic flair in the past with films like “I'm a Cyborg but That's OK”, while also infusing his darker thrillers with strong dark humour. Martial arts fantasies are uncharted waters for the prolific director, but he uses a comedic tone to make for a fun, pleasurable short film. With so much happening in terms of the story, the martial arts is relegated to merely a couple very short scenes, but they are well done nonetheless. One does however wish that for a short advertised as a martial arts fantasy, there were more such scenes to satiate the audience.
With just three key characters, Park enlists Yoo Hae-jin, Park Jung-min and his “Thirst” actress Kim Ok-bin. The three seem to have been instructed to go ever so slightly over-the-top with their performances in a mo lei tau fashion, all three of who are happy to oblige for the most part. But the real motive of this short of course is not supposed to be its storyline or acting, but the cinematography which is meant to exhibit the prowess of the iPhone 13 Pro's video camera.
This is where the short film shines, with Park using almost every trick that makes a point of proving just what the camera can do. Extreme close-ups show off the delicacy of both Park's and Kim's skins and every strand of their eyebrows and lashes are richly visible. Night scenes are impressive in their detail and the amount of light they manage to pull in. Motion capture is as smooth as what professional videography equipment manages to show, whereas bright colours, a staple of Park's filmography, are vibrant and extremely pleasing when used in the latter stages.
As a Park Chan-wook film, “Life is But a Dream” leaves a bit to be desired while also making the viewers desire a feature-length martial arts fantasy in true Park Chan-wook style. As an iPhone 13 Pro advertisement though, which is effectively what this is, it is a home run.
