His path to revenge is an acceptance of death that offers no salvation or redemption.
If I Had A Heart is a neon-noir set in the underbelly of Seoul. Sam IL is a street fighter who was abandoned at birth by his Mother in a coin locker. His life has been one of extreme violence and isolation. After a brutal near death experience Sam IL is forced to contemplate his past whilst accepting the non-existence of his future. His path to revenge is an acceptance of death that offers no salvation or redemption.
An extremely dark movie filmed in Korea by two British brothers, Matthew and Simon Halsall. Inspired by films like Drive and Ben Wheatley‘s Kill List, the film embodies a somber ambiance match the main protagonist’s miserable life.
We decided at that moment that this film had to be far more oppressive in its mood, atmosphere and tone. It also brought us to the realisation that for the audience to sympathise – or even empathise – with our disturbed, violent and ‘heartless’ character, the viewer would need to experience the film firmly from the subjective perspective of this man lost in a deep psychosis.
– Excerpt by the Halsall brothers from DirectorsNotes.com interview
The film’s darkness is something that was thoroughly thought out and envisioned by the Halsall brothers.
Both of us are of the opinion that most films are horribly over lit, particularly student shorts. So this also contributed to the film’s style and aesthetics.
If I Had A Heart will capture you in places where other shorts haven’t, making you find empathy for a heartless and ruthless character in a creative way, using lighting and sounds to nourish your sorrows.
