Cobweb review - A Delightful Entanglement of a Film (within a Film)

(Author’s note: Ahoy there, Cinegeeks! Roy here. For the next few posts, I’ll be going over 4 movies that we really tried to talk about on the Podcast but weren’t able to; to know the reasons why, listen to our podcast episode reviewing the fantastic movie LOVE RESET.

Next up: COBWEB.)

As a Cinegeek, there’s no bigger thrill for me than watching a film about films. Some would call such work narcissistic or self-indulgent, and they’d be right; it’s also imprudent to ignore the fact that it’s show business we’re talking about. Of course, it’s gonna be narcissistic or self-indulgent. Classics such as The Player, Hail Caesar!, and Babylon (yes, a classic, thank you very much) have all touched upon the many layers of the film industry’s inner workings, but to my knowledge, there have been few films that have explored the inner turmoil of a director’s longing for perfection.

Enter Cobweb.

Set in 1970s South Korea, director Kim Yeol (Song Kang-ho) is consumed by different ways to end the film he’s currently shooting. Not everyone is a fan of the idea, though. He must work with actors who have better things to do and studio executives who are terrified of the Censorship Board in order to bring his mania to life. Will it all be worth it in the end?

In the aforementioned list of classic “film about films,” the inner workings of filmmaking are laid bare through the eyes of exasperated studio executives (The Player, Hail Caesar!) or bit players hoping to make it to the top (Babylon). They’ve also made it a point to portray the director of the films within those films as buffoonish or cartoonishly incompetent, made ripe for the inevitable punchline that will sadly be at their expense. In Cobweb, the tables are turned, and as expected, it is the other side of the coin that’s presented as woefully inept. The actors are more consumed with their personal drama than working on set, and the studio executives are stopping short of licking the shoes of government officials just to keep their joint afloat. What’s a “tortured genius” got to do to finish his magnum opus? Well, lock everyone in and try to re-shoot half a movie in 2 days!

Shin Yeon-shick and Kim Jee-woon (also directing) whip up an intelligent script that doesn’t pull any punches against every aspect of the filmmaking process (the director included). Director Kim himself has had a storied career in South Korean cinema, helming such varying genre gems such as The Good, The Bad, and The Weird and I Saw The Devil (a personal favorite), so it’s a meta-thrill to know that this one has a bit of an autobiographical streak. You just know that he had to include all of the shots he’s been wanting to throw at everyone for the last 25 years of his career. There’s an extended scene here that lampoons both method acting and the easily impressionable state of casual audiences that will definitely go over most heads, but for true film buffs, it's a hoot and a half.

What’s there that hasn’t already been said about Song Kang-ho? The man is a living legend of South Korean cinema (alongside Lee Jung-jae, Ma Dong-seok, and Lee Byung-hun, IMO). It’s fun to have seen his career trajectory, from Memories of Murder all the way to Parasite. He’s mastered the art of what I’d like to call “grumpy acting.” In his previous films, he’d use that to portray a gruff exterior that belied a heart of gold; here, he uses it to mask the imposter syndrome he’s so desperately battling against. It’s riveting stuff.

The supporting cast is game as well, with such standouts as Jeon Yeo-been as a plucky studio executive, Oh Jung-se as the playboy lead actor, and Krystal Jung as a starlet who may be keeping a secret from everyone else on set. Everyone brings their comedic A-game, and all act as perfect foils for the perpetually troubled Kim Yeol.

For many of you, I’m aware that it’s a mystery (knowing that this is a movie about movies) why it’s called Cobweb. Well, you’ll just have to pull at that specific thread, my fellow Cinegeeks, and find out the answer for yourself! Who knows, you might find this one a delightful entanglement in the end.

Cobweb hits Philippine cinemas on October 4 from TBA Studios.

Watch the trailer here: