Five Senses of Eros and Nothing Else

Ogamdo or Five Senses of Eros is a collection of five short films from five top Korean directors that tackled one common theme, sex. It featured top caliber actors and actresses as they portray various aspects of sexuality and sensuality, from the innocent to the twisted and everything in between.

His Concern

This is an urban romance about love at first sight and how the romance unfolds through the eyes of the guy played by Jang Hyuk. Although it felt like a rip-off of Before Sunrise/Before Sunset, I’m not complaining since it featured a seminal performance from Cha Hyun Jung as the girl being chased by the guy.

I’m Right Here

This is a story of never-ending love. Hye Rim (Cha Soo Yeon) is terminally ill and her husband Hyun Woo (Kim Kang Woo) wants to spend their last moments together with happy thoughts by playing hide and seek every night when he gets home from work. For me, this is the best short movie in Ogamdo. The husband worries about his wife being alone during the day when he’s at work, while the wife worries that she will leave her husband soon. Something about undying love has a special place in my heart.

33^rd Man

Now this is my least liked segment of Ogamdo. I guess the director wanted to have a campy feel and went for a vampire story. Director Bong (Kim Soo Ro) is a control freak and this irritates veteran actress Hwa Ran (Bae Jong Ok). She decides to take rookie actress Mi Jin (Kim Min Sun) under her wings and shared her secret of eternal beauty. In the end, Mi Jin seduced the director and got into his head… literally.

The End and the Beginning

I’m excited when this segment started playing because I’m a big fan of Uhm Jung Hwa. She plays Jung Ha, whose husband Jae In (Hwang Jung Min) has recently died in a car accident. She had the shock of her life when she finds out that her hoobae Na Ru (Kim Hyo Jin) is his mistress and they were together when the accident happened. To make up for her sins, Na Ru asked Jung Ha if she could live with her and here starts the fight of hate and desire. The story is a bit unbelievable but so is Uhm Jung Hwa’s beauty.

Believe in the Moment

It tells the story of three young couples and their impulsive behavior. I forgot who suggested it, but they switched partners for a day and this is where the conflict and passion comes in. Playing the teens are Kim Dong Wook, Jung Eui Chul, Song Joong Ki, Sin Se Gyeong, Lee Si Young, and Lee Sung Min. Although they depict teenagers, this segment deserves an R-rating.

Overall, Ogamdo or Five Senses of Eros is a good movie to pass your time. It brings nothing new to the table except for recycled ideas from a bunch of movies that I’ve already seen before, porn included. But don’t get me wrong. All five short movies were well made and the actors and actresses did a pretty good job. But take out all the love scenes and what’s left is not worth remembering.