My Beautiful Girl Mari (2002)
Released by: ADV Films
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

The world of Korean animation is not as well known worldwide as Japanese anime, but little by little it’s starting to break through the market clutter and getting more of the attention it deserves with titles that are rich in originality and visual splendor. Admittedly my experience with Korean entertainment has been limited to a narrow collection of titles like Robot Taekwon V, Goldwing and those awful live action/animation hybrid videos that were all the rage in the 90’s, but even those few entries ignited an interest in further exploration of contemporary Korean entertainment, which brings us to today’s subject My Beautiful Girl Mari, a film that perfectly encapsulates the brave new world of Korean animation.

Released by ADV Films stateside the movie is a very unique release for the company and hopefully signals a new direction for them in terms of product licensing. So with that let’s get right into it.

Story

"Nam-woo lives in a small seaside village and is suffering because everyone close to him has died, left or is about to leave. One day he discovers a magical marble in a toy store which, when he visits the top of an old abandoned lighthouse, transports him to an enchanted fantasy land where he floats on clouds, rides on the back of fantastic creatures and meets the mysterious, ethereal girl called Mari, who floats tantalizingly just out of his grasp. As an adult, Nam-woo reflects on what kind of impact Mari and her world had on his growth as a human being." -- ADV Films’ Story Summary

Review

I like ADV Films’ story summary above as it captures what this movie is all about so I’ll forego the usual plot summary and get right into it.

My Beautiful Girl Mari is a very unique film that at its heart is an exploration of those childhood memories we all hold dear, even as adults, and how those moments have an impact not only when they originally happen, but even into our adult lives as we struggle to come to grips with the realities of the world and how everyone changes with the passage of time. This is theme that the movie gets right into as we meet our main characters, Nam-woo and Jun-ho, two childhood friends that after many years are seeing each other again. The world they find themselves in is a grey cityscape that is surrounded by many of the sad realities of life, but through conversation and reminiscing Nam-woo quickly finds himself transported to those happier days of his past, when both him and Jun-ho were students in a coastal town. This was the summer when he met Mari…

During those days Nam-woo’s life was more difficult than those of most kids his age. His father had passed away, his best friend was about to move to Seoul, his grandmother was having health problems and his mom started seeing someone new. Life wasn’t easy and he tried as much as possible to avoid it all and just dream his days away, to the point where it even landed him in trouble at school. However, in the midst of all this he finds a strange marble at the local toy shop, one that seems to have a person floating inside and glows magically. This small item quickly captures his imagination and through a variety of events leads him to a world he could only dream of in these difficult days, a world unlike any other he has experienced before.

Filled with strange creatures and even more peculiar foliage this dream-like place is a challenge to Nam-woo’s reality and stands in sharp contrast to his home and the places he routinely travels to. Here he is free to do as he pleases and enjoy the peace of mind that eludes him at home, that is until Mari, a strange flying girl who accompanies a large dog-like creature, appears to our protagonist. She is of particular interest to Nam-woo, as she is the sole inhabitant of this magical land, but whenever he gets close to her he ends up waking up in the real world. Just who is this girl, what is the nature of the world she inhabits and the meaning of it all are questions that haunt Nam-woo throughout the film and which push him to further explore this alternate reality and escape his own.

By the end of his journey Nam-woo will come to learn about life, how the world is constantly changing, people will come and go and that there are very few constants if any in life. It’s a difficult journey, but one that is made easier by a mysterious flying girl that he refers to as Mari.

Overall I found this film quite enjoyable although admittedly I had a hard time getting into during the first half hour or so, but once the plot gets some traction going it definitely picks up. It certainly is a slower paced film than your typical anime or animated fare, but My Beautiful Girl Mari is about the exploration of childhood memories and confronting our everyday reality. As such the movie does an admirable job at setting up the stage and characters to explore these ideas.

I particularly enjoyed the subtleness of the narrative in that instead of laying everything out for us and filling us in on what is happening onscreen the creative team here kept it wide open for interpretation. So the nature of Mari’s world, Mari herself and her relationship with the lighthouse that seems to transport Nam-woo to her world is to a degree left to us as viewers to explore and speculate on. While this may leave many people thirsting for answers or may be seen negatively I think that within the context of the story and the feel of the film itself it fits perfectly and works surprisingly well.

Probably the one area that really makes My Beautiful Girl Mari stand out from other animated releases is its artistic direction and animation style. I’m not sure what the appropriate technical jargon to describe it is, but basically it looks like a very high end cut-out style (similar to that used in TV shows aimed at the younger set or shows like South Park) that evokes the artwork that’s found in many kid books. This gives the movie a unique feel and look right off the bat that put it in a league of its own. The animation itself is surprisingly smooth and the background art and paintings is beyond amazing with many beautiful landscapes nearly stealing the show when their onscreen.

On the audio front expectations are met, but not really surpassed with a beautiful musical score that is filled with many pieces that delight the ear, but that don’t really stand out as particularly memorable or evocative of the themes the movie deals with. The voice acting was solid on all fronts as the voice actors bring their two dimensional counterparts to life with ease.

On the DVD front this is a basic release from ADV Films and doesn't really include too much in terms of extras aside from previews for previews for other ADV Films releases. I have to say though I LOVE the piece the company used for the front cover of the DVD case as it perfectly captures the spirit of Nam-woo’s encounters with Mari in her fantasy world. Quality-wise both the video and audio transfers are as flawless as they get with no real defects to speak of.

Final Thoughts

I give ADV Films a lot of credit for releasing this film domestically and look forward to more releases in the same vein. My Beautiful Girl Mari is very highly recommended for all animation fans who are looking for something a little different and rich in visual beauty.

A beautiful movie that should be checked out by all.

Jeffrey Couto