White labels over man's eyes
I didn't get why the guy put white sticky label things over that poster of the boxing guy. Why did he do it? Was it just to prove that he had been there? Or was it symbolising something?
shareI didn't get why the guy put white sticky label things over that poster of the boxing guy. Why did he do it? Was it just to prove that he had been there? Or was it symbolising something?
shareI guess that way he knows whether the house is empty or not. He puts the stickers, awaits several hours, returns, and the house with the stickers still in the door, tell him if the house is still empty.
shareDoubt that's right.
Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.
You're confusing the question. He's talking about a scene near the ending, not about the pamphlets he leaves on the doors.
shareMaybe it represents, now i can see you but you cant see me?
[deleted]
Like many art house directors (i.e. Kieslowski, Lynch, Tarkovsky, Kubrick) Ki-Duk Kim's "3 Iron" is open to interpretation. I just saw the film last night and I'm still working out the film's meaning and the reoccurring motif of the eye but I think the central theme comes from the ending when transposed on the screen is the line "It's hard to tell that the world we live in is either a reality or a dream." Kim is addressing the metaphysics of reality. Normally, humans rely on their eyes to perceive what is real or not. Hence, "seeing is believing." Yet things outside the view of human vision like the electricity that's running your computer is as real as the chair you're sitting on. The perception of reality has much more to do with the willingness to absorb what is seen, than it does the ability to perceive. Knowledge is thus not the essence of wisdom. Going beyond the phrase “seeing is believing”, it would be even more accurate to say “believing is seeing” in the modern world. As long as we believe that the universe is simply a collection of molecules that interact without ultimate direction or spiritual purpose, we will “see” only material remedies for the problems of the world. In materialism our minds will be limited to temporary physical achievements, rather than eternal and spiritual ones.
Throughout the movie Tae-suk is developing his third eye, which is the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. He is a free spirit constantly moving to different dwellings without a home of his own. He flows like water and bends with the wind. When he answers the phone in the house with the dead father, he knows the son will show up but he doesn't leave. He accepts his fate (karma) and his inaction is a central principle of letting the Tao unfold. Lao Tsu taught that, "He who follows the Tao is one with the Tao." By the time we see Tae-suk in the prison cell, we see him fully develop his third eye as symbolized by the eye drawn on his palm.
Those who debate whether he is a ghost or developed ninja skills are taking this movie too literally. The fact that he can't be seen is a metaphor for his transcendence and the blindness of those still trapped in the material world. This inability to see beyond the physical world is shown by the stickers placed over the boxer's eyes. In Buddhist terms, attainment of nirvana is the complete destruction of the self and merging with the higher consciousness. It is a state of nothingness. This is represented by the zero on the scale at the end of the film. Symmetry math shows us that the infinite is real and exists in a realm greater than our sense of time and place. What this system does, is allow a radical shift of perspective, so that we can also see the universe as an undivided whole, where apples are part a single universe. In symmetry math, one of the conclusions we can draw is that for there to be a positive two apples (matter), there must be a negative two apples (anti-matter) removed from the pattern that we observe. Thus, the two main characters cancel each other out forming a perfect symmetry representing the infinite universe.
Oh sweet mystery of life at last I have found yuuuuuu
Tae-Suk is putting the white labels over the photo of the boxer because he wants to become invisible. He also repairs a radio because he wants to control sound and become soundless and he repairs a weight balance because he wants to become weightless, thus reaching a perfect state. He practices all of this in prison. When he finally reaches perfection he is able to live in the house with the woman he loves without beiing noticed by her man.
sharewhat about the bb gun?
golf ball?
Sometimes people are just looking for things that aren't there. Ok here's the deal, the end is a very theoretical thing with the being able to tell the difference in a dream and reality and the scale equaling zero, but the series of events leading up to that point is to show that he no longer has to wait for the people to leave to be able to enter their homes without them noticing. The sticky notes over the boxers eyes are placed there to tell the boxer that look you once caught me by seeing me, but now your eyes are useless. They are also to show the boxer that there was indeed someone in his home again. He does this at the photographer's appartment also by taking the picture he proves he was there. These scenes in a way are just testing the skills that he has developed. Maybe he is testing them to see if they are tuned fine enough to go get his girl back or maybe he's just wanting to prove to the people that he entered their homes that he could do it again only this time he could do it with them mere inches away from him. Does this film have many underlying meanings, yes! Is there some meaning in the things he takes like the photograph and turning the pillow and putting the sticky notes over the guys eyes, yes, but they are all very small portions of the main story. Look for symbolism in this film nd you'll find it, but don't forget that the things he does also have a very real and human base to them not just the underlying mumbo-jumbo that people seem to get caught up in. Take this film for a literal meaning before you start to disect the underlying meanings.
shareMaybe my explanation is a bit too much down to earth. But I figured that the scale showing zero because when you combine 75 kg and 45 kg it adds up to 130, which was the maximum of the scale and is shown as a zero. I only saw the movie once, and in my memory, the guy was 75 and the girl around 46/47... He could have lost some weight in prison, because the guard denied him from his meals. Or did I miss a point? I thought it was more symbolic, together they are in balance.
shareNo, no, no.
Surely he done it to reflect the boxers persona. - A Hollow and Shallow man. This was in light of him using OVER aggressive force earlier when he caught to two in there apartment, and then this soulless character was reinforced by witnessing him and his fiancée arguing about his promiscuity.
I thought this was obvious as once he was freed from prison he set out to revisit the past to find comfort through revenge, exposure or peace.
i.e.
- The police officer got his punishment for wrongfully bring harm to the innocent.
- He removed the picture of his love from the pervey photographers apartment.
- And he found his peace visiting the place they first ever kissed.
It deep, but it’s not that deep.
That has to be the greatest interpretation of this film i've come across thus far.
shareexcellent interpretation!
shareI like what you wrote except the part about the perfect symmetry representing the infinite universe.
shareThank you, Novelle. That is super helpful. I just finished watching this and ran to the forum looking for additional insight.
share@novelle You truly are a genius! Your interpretation answered many questions and opened a completely new perspective for me. Thanks a lot!
@novelle Thank You so much for your interpretation. yes indeed it has opened up a new horizon on how i perceived this movie. it is indeed a tender metaphorical ride. loved this film. really loved it. going to watch it again!
sharesounds very apt
thanks a lot
a delightful take on the movie
In the Land of the Blind, the one eyed man is king.
It is a moment of transcendence when one recognizes oneself as an adversary- Ramu