In this blog post, I will examine the potential and necessity of surrealist visual language in mainstream cinema by comparing and analyzing director Shunji Iwai’s film ‘Undo’ with the masterpieces of director Luis Buñuel.
Most mainstream films we commonly see today are composed of a sequence of shots designed to convey a story. While narrative delivery is certainly an important function of film, an excessive reliance on plot development can limit the potential for visual expression inherent in cinema. Given that the Korean film industry is currently facing various challenges, this conventional approach to image composition can also be cited as one contributing factor. In today’s mainstream cinema, attempts to explore new visual languages have diminished compared to the past. Many filmmakers assume that the general public will not readily accept surrealistic expressions. However, this assumption is not necessarily correct.
Although surrealist films themselves may be somewhat difficult for the general public to access, surrealistic visual language in films has already become a familiar form of expression to the public. This is because surrealistic images and direction are consumed on a daily basis through various media, such as advertisements, music videos, and various forms of digital content. When appropriately utilized in mainstream cinema, these elements can make a film feel more cinematic and contribute to creating a fantastical yet intriguing atmosphere. In other words, surrealistic elements have the potential to enhance both box office success and artistic merit simultaneously.
In this paper, I will compare and analyze ‘Undo’ by director Shunji Iwai—a film that exemplifies this approach—with the works of Luis Buñuel, who is regarded as a leading director of surrealist cinema. Through this analysis, I aim to demonstrate that when mainstream cinema incorporates surrealistic elements, it can achieve both commercial success and artistic originality.
Directed by Shunji Iwai and produced in Japan in 1994, ‘Undo’ is known as his feature film debut. The film was fundamentally intended for a general audience. However, as it was the work of an unknown director at the time, securing theater screenings proved difficult, and it faced the challenge of being shown only during limited time slots. Nevertheless, ‘Undo’ overcame these adverse conditions, captured the audience’s interest, and garnered attention. Many viewers were captivated by the film, and as word of mouth spread, it went on to receive critical acclaim.
This success was not due solely to the story itself. In fact, the film’s basic plot is a time-honored tale of romance between a man and a woman—and a story about human desire. The reason young audiences at the time were so enthusiastic, despite the late-night screenings, lay not in the simple narrative. It was because the surreal imagery enveloping the entire film was exquisitely combined with the emotional sensibilities of the audience at the time. This combination made the film a unique and fresh work. In fact, ‘Undo’ subsequently garnered attention at international film festivals, serving as a catalyst for making director Shunji Iwai’s name widely known. This example demonstrates just how powerful surreal elements can be within popular cinema.
So, what exactly is surrealist cinema, or surreal visual language? “Surreal” refers to a state that transcends reality. In other words, phenomena that are unlikely to occur in reality or expressions that fall outside the realm of realism are generally termed “surreal.”
People tend to think of the surreal as difficult to grasp, but in fact, it is not. Especially in East Asian cultures, surrealistic imagination has been naturally embedded in culture for a long time. If we think of traditional folktales, myths, and Buddhist legends, we see stories where animals speak, immortals or celestial maidens descend from the heavens, and humans and spirits coexist—such narratives appear time and again. These elements are all products of imagination that transcend reality. Therefore, surrealistic images and stories can actually be considered cultural assets that are very familiar to us.
Of course, the Western Surrealist movement carries a meaning that goes beyond the mere expression of fantasy. Surrealism, which emerged in Europe in the early 20th century, was an artistic movement that sought to explore the realm of the human unconscious and deconstruct existing orders and conventions. It also embodied a yearning for social and political change. This Surrealist movement marked a significant turning point in art history.
However, from the current perspective of discussing Surrealism in modern popular cinema, the potential applications of the surreal visual language itself are more important than these historical ideologies. This is because the focus here is not on inheriting the philosophy of the Surrealist movement, but rather on how to effectively incorporate the modes of expression they developed into popular cinema.
Let us now examine, in more detail, how director Shunji Iwai’s ‘Undo’ utilizes surrealist elements. To do so, we will compare it with the representative works of director Luis Buñuel, who is regarded as a master of surrealist cinema.
Luis Buñuel’s masterpieces are renowned for their surrealistic expressions rooted in the unconscious. In his films, events that could never occur in reality appear naturally, without any particular plausibility. Consequently, the imagery he presents does not come across as ordinary to the audience.
A prime example is the opening sequence of ‘Un Chien Andalou’, where a scene of a crescent moon obscured by clouds is immediately followed by a scene of a woman’s eye being slit open with a knife. While it is difficult to clearly define the meaning behind the connection between these two scenes, the audience is left with a profound shock and an impression unlike anything they have experienced in conventional films.
In addition to this, his works feature countless scenes that are impossible in reality. In ‘Un Chien Andalou’, a dead animal’s carcass and clergymen appear on a piano; in ‘L’Illusion de la liberté’, statues move; and in ‘Sérénade’, fantastical situations that defy rational explanation unfold. As these scenes accumulate, the film as a whole becomes a unique work that defies easy categorization into existing genres. This is precisely the hallmark of Luis Buñuel’s films.
Director Shunji Iwai’s ‘Undo’ also shares this context, despite being a mainstream film. ‘Undo’ is fundamentally a love story between a man and a woman. Love stories were a common genre back then and remain so today. However, this film does not strictly follow the conventions of traditional melodrama, as it portrays the psychology and relationship between the man and woman in a highly surrealistic manner.
The film’s central motif is the act of “tying.” Considering that the title “Undo” implies the meaning of “to untie,” the entire film can be seen as composed of images of binding and unraveling. The female character in the film is portrayed as someone yearning for the man’s love. She eventually reveals her unstable mental state through compulsive behaviors such as “tying up her waiting” and “tying up her love.”
What is important is that this state is not expressed solely through dialogue. In the film, she actually begins tying various objects with string. And eventually, she even wants to be tied up herself. The scene where the man ties her up and hangs her on the wall is a surreal image that would be nearly impossible in reality.
However, the film does not stop there. Just as Buñuel’s films generally have ambiguous endings, ‘Undo’ also does not offer a clear answer. Buñuel’s works—such as ‘The Illusion of Freedom’, ‘The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie’, ‘Sérénade’, and ‘The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie’—all end by leaving the audience with questions.
‘Undo’ is no exception. The man who had tied the woman to the wall with string loses consciousness and then wakes up. But this time, he finds himself tied up with the string, while the woman has vanished. She no longer exists, having left only traces behind. The film concludes with the two characters reappearing amidst the traces of the thread, as if to imply the question: “Were we binding each other, or were we drifting apart?”
This ending breaks the convention that melodramas must necessarily end in tragedy or a happy ending. Instead, it expresses the complex psychology of human relationships through surreal imagery, leaving the audience room for reflection. Paradoxically, these unrealistic scenes evoke even more realistic emotions.
Young audiences at the time were captivated by these images. They were drawn to the way abstract phrases like “Tying Up the Wait” and “Tying Up Love and Memories” were translated into actual visual imagery. This style of expression went on to influence various visual media, including advertising and music videos, and remains a valid expressive strategy even today.
Ultimately, surreal imagery is largely symbolic. Each scene contains multiple layers of meaning, and even if the audience cannot interpret them precisely, they can still sense them intuitively. It is important to note that surreal imagery is meant to be felt before it is understood.
The same applies to the controversial scenes in director Buñuel’s films. They convey intense sensations and emotions without forcing a clear interpretation on the audience. A prime example is the scene in ‘Un Chien Andalou’ where an eye is sliced open; while it’s difficult to pin down a single meaning, it leaves a distinct emotional impact. It is precisely at this point that symbolism and the director’s sensibility are revealed.
‘Undo’ also features many scenes where the director’s intent is palpable. Examining one such scene makes this even clearer. In the film’s 13th scene, a man and a woman walk down the street together after a hospital visit. Although this scene is composed of relatively simple cinematography, it creates a highly striking image. Just as the woman suddenly kisses the man passionately, a group of kindergarteners rushes toward them from the opposite direction.
If only the kissing scene had existed, it would have been nothing more than a typical scene from a romantic film. However, the children’s appearance expands the scene’s meaning. Through this, the viewer can implicitly sense the purity and absoluteness of the woman’s love. At the same time, this scene creates an atmosphere that feels both plausible in reality yet somehow unfamiliar and surreal. It is precisely this aspect that demonstrates the power of surrealistic visual language.
In this way, the film ‘Undo’, despite being a mainstream film, is composed of very strong surrealist elements. The visual language of ‘Undo’ actively employs symbolic and unconscious expressions, much like the works of director Luis Buñuel. The combination of these images leads the entire film toward an ambiguous beginning and an ambiguous ending. However, this ambiguity is not mere obscurity; it leads to realistic questions about human relationships and love.
Furthermore, the fact that the film concludes with a highly surreal image is another characteristic similar to Buñuel’s works. As a result, ‘Undo’ was able to break free from the framework of a typical melodrama and offer a new cinematic experience.
The incorporation of surrealistic elements into mainstream cinema suggests a very important fact: surrealistic imagery can simultaneously enhance a film’s entertainment value and artistic merit, and furthermore, breathe new life into the film industry as a whole. As ‘Undo’ demonstrates, what captivates audiences’ emotions is sometimes a balance of appropriate experimentation and a new visual language.
Images that rely solely on plot progression can easily lose their appeal over time. In contrast, images that stimulate the audience’s senses and imagination are remembered for a long time. In this sense, the surrealistic elements showcased in ‘Undo’ and the works of Luis Buñuel remain highly relevant even today. For contemporary cinema to gain new vitality, efforts must be made to re-explore and actively utilize this visual language.
