Take Care of My Cat (2001) is a coming of age drama about the slow undoing of a clique of Korean girlfriends in their early twenties . The five girls were close friends in high school but upon graduating their lives slowly begin to diverge in different directions (or no direction at all). Often communicating via cell phone, the girls try to meet regularly despite the groups unraveling.

Hae-joo is pretty, but image obsessed, superficial, and works in an office, reveling in the corporate life style and worrying over her advancement among the workplace ranks. Tae-hee, the instigator of the most get-togethers, is the daughter of a middle-class, make no waves family, and she spends her free time typing poems for a disabled poet. Ji-young is a sullen, poor, wannabe designer, who lives with her fragile grandparents in the slums. Twins Bi-ryu and Ohn-joo seem to be the most happy, selling their handmade jewelry on the street corners, and always having each other to lean on.

The film finds its main focus on Ji-young, the most introspective and troubled member of the group (a US remake would probably aim at a Christina Ricci type). She is the one with the most talent but the least opportunity, and her story has the most foreshadowing. Tae-hee is probably the most relatable to anyone who remembers or is in the midst of those post teen years where you are considered an adult but may not yet know what you are going to do with your maturity. Hae-joo seems to be the reflection of Korea's modern age, a young woman trying to get a foothold, who worries over her appearance and status above all else.

The cat in question is a birthday gift to Hae-joo from Ji-young. The kitten is quickly returned because Hae-joo says she just doesnt have the time for a pet. As Ji-young's situation worsens, the cat is passed from friend to friend.

The film opens with the girls fresh out of high school taking a group post-graduation photo. Their jumping around, screeching, and giggling made me brace myself for a bubbly, candy-coated, coming of age, chick flick. However, as the film settled in, I was quite surprised and very relieved to find Take Care of My Cat was a much more mature and interesting film about an often cliched subject matter. The film does have its weaker points. The running time could be trimmed a tad, some bits don't help the progression, especially with the underdeveloped Bi-ryu and Ohn-joo adding little, if anything, to the story. The disabled poet, with his cluelessly funny self pity prose, reminded me of the cerebral palsied writer/boyfriend in the "Fiction" segment of Todd Solondz's Storytelling. Though, because they were both made the same year, I'd chalk the latter up to coincidence.

Still, first time feature writer/director Jae-eun Jeong wins many admirable points for avoiding all of the contrived dramatic pitfalls. The film unfolds with very little drama/melodrama and forsakes the three act, there-must-be-conflict, grab-your-hankies structure, and instead simply lays out its events and characters with no grand tearjerker scenes or emotional grandstanding. Conventional drama storytelling wold insist there has to be some situation where they confront each other about how their lives are changing, however Take Care of My Cat remains more truthful to the subject, there is no such scene because they are, in fact, growing apart (in distance, in lifestyle, in personality). True to growing up, to getting beyond your childhood friends, as they find themselves, they simply find some of their friendships diluted and some strengthened.

The DVD: Kino

Picture: Non-Anamorphic Widescreen. With its gritty urban locations, imaginative use of text messages, and well composed cinematography, the film is a visual winner. Contrast is nice and deep. Colors are a bit on the muted side. The level of grain and some print spots are disappointing on such a recent film but do not really deter from enjoying it.

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Korean language with default English subtitles. The low key techno score is quite warm and get the best boost. Dialogue is well rendered and clear. No complaints.

Extras: The Korean release features some deleted scenes, non-English subbed directors commentary, and other goodies. Sadly all Kino offers is a stills gallery, trailer for the film, plus trailers for Blind Shaft and The Return.

Conclusion: It's a shame they didn't port over some of the extras from the Korean release and, likewise, make the transfer anamorphic. Still, for Asian cinephiles, the film is a nice little drama worth giving a casual look.