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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Movies and TV devider 'Cobweb': Dark comedy on making movies

'Cobweb': Dark comedy on making movies

Published Oct 6, 2023 11:53 pm

At A Glance

  • The film, Cobweb, goes even several steps farther by taking viewers into the psychology of people working behind a film. In other words, Cobweb is a film within a film, giving moviegoers a vicarious first-hand look at the set of the film while it is filming. No need to fly all the way to Seoul or Jeju island to observe a movie set.

cobweb.jpeg

Movies about the movie world or about making movies allow audiences wide-eyed peeks into the ways and means, habits and idiosyncracies of people in this highly volatile industry.

The film, Cobweb, goes even several steps farther by taking viewers into the psychology of people working behind a film. In other words, Cobweb is a film within a film, giving moviegoers a vicarious first-hand look at the set of the film while it is filming. No need to fly all the way to Seoul or Jeju island to observe a movie set.

Premiering out of competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Cobweb, a 2023 dark comedy, follows the story of a director in the 1970s haunted by the desire to reshoot the ending of his latest film following a series of recurring dreams.

He claims that given two more shooting days, his film can become a masterpiece. Chaos ensues when a web of complications starts to rise on the film set. The film is set in the 1970s when the South Korean film industry was heavily censored by the government.

The film stars Song Kang-ho, best known for his critically acclaimed performance in Parasite (2019). Cobweb’s cast also features some of the most recognizable faces in South Korean entertainment, including Lim Soo-jung (A Tale Of Two Sisters) and Oh Jung-se (It’s Okay Not To Be Okay).

Written and directed by Kim Jee-woon, whose previous works include A Tale Of Two Sisters (2003), Cobweb came about after Kim reflected on
the struggles of artists, filmmakers, and the entire film industry, which was heavily impacted by the pandemic.

Cobweb is exclusively distributed in the Philippines by TBA Studios, which also brought award-winning films like Everything Everywhere All
At Once and romantic drama Past Lives to the Philippines. Cobweb opened in cinemas on Oct. 4.

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