When asked what would happen when Pyohoon-daeduk gets the
flute back, one of the Taoist hermits respond that the world would be a better
place. The monsters/spirits will be thrown into the dungeons and the hermits
will be allowed once more into heaven.
Why aren’t we granted this happy ending? How come
Pyohoon-daeduk does not get to play the flute, and thereby granting us a happy
ending with the monsters back in the dungeons and the hermits back in heaven?
Why is the flute shattered to pieces instead? Why does Hwadam walk into the
painting himself?
I think this suggests that the story is not finished but (most
likely) will be repeating once again. Hwadam, or the spirit of Ram, is not
dead, but simply locked in a painting for an undefined amount of time. The possibility of his return is hinted by
his half turned body, posed as if to turn around and look out of the painting. The
other monster spirits are also simply contained in a gourd, not completely
destroyed or sent to the dungeons, where they came from. One day (albeit centuries
later) the monsters may once again roam the earth, resetting the endless cycle
of history.
This repetition of history is hinted by the usage of various
déjà vu in the film. Concept of time is all jumbled up for these eternal spiritual
beings. The beach that Jeonwoochi draws up with his charm for the widow in the
past is the same beach that Jeonwoochi and Inkyung go to later with the same
Italian(?) music playing in the background. The scene of Jeonwoochi being
chastised by his master is another déjà vu, reconstructed in this case by
Hwadam. Through these two scenes specifically, Jeonwoochi travels forward in
time, then backwards in time (respectively), showing the interconnectedness in
time.
The mirrors present throughout the film represents a window
into spiritual world and reflection of true self, but can also be thought of as
a symbol for the ever-reflecting nature of history. Present reflects the past
and the future. Mirror shows Inkyung her true identity as Pyohoon-Daeduk from
the beginning of times.
How are water, paintings, TV screens related to mirrors? Why
does Jeonwoochi emerge from them?
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