Before "The Chaser", Na Hong-jin made a small name for himself with a string of acclaimed student films. The last of these, "Sweat", is a stylized mood piece about exactly what it proclaims. An experimental film at heart, there are nevertheless identifiable characters, and a skeletal quotidian narrative develops -- everyday life recorded by high-speed cameras in extreme close-ups. It doesn't have the serial-killer thrills of "The Chaser", but you might see hints of that film's stark visuals and draining physicality.A beautiful piece of aesthetic work with sweat as a thread. But no one sweats for the same reasons.This ode to sweat, in slow-motion shots with a rhytmic musical accompaniment, presents the daily cycle of a man (and a woman), which is at a certain level also a cycle of life.
小黎(邬玉君饰)是个女警察,小白(潘粤明饰)是个小混混,他们在同一地方出没,却并不相识。一次小白被贩毒团伙的人追杀,在地铁站里,走投无路的他冒犯了小黎,并把关键的呼机偷偷扔在了小黎口袋中。被轻薄后的小黎又气又恼,小白通过呼机对小黎“展开攻势”,但小黎脾气未退,也不愿还他呼机。小黎父亲(陈友旺饰)警告女儿不要再跟着小混混往来,但小黎发现自己爱上了小白。之后她铤而走险独闯小白的家,正好撞见了来要挟小白的团伙老大。危险时刻,父亲出现拯救了小黎。但小黎误认为小白是凶手,并在独闯中被抓,小白遭到怀疑。最后,老大让小白打死小黎以证明清白……