About This DVD

A young Korean man and young Japanese woman get to know each other through a coincidental act of fate. They yearn for each other and eventually meet in this 'city love-graphy.' At a glance, Seoul and Tokyo may look alike, but their histories and the thoughts of their residents are very different. "Asako in Ruby Shoes" shows the rendezvous and love of a man and woman from 'the near yet so far' cities of Seoul and Tokyo. By an act of coincidence, the two cities cross over and the man and woman brush by each other. Their fates, though unfamiliar and unlikely to come together, blossom into a beautiful love.

There are many movies that deal with cities. However, "Asako in Ruby Shoes" is unlike any movie and presents the 'Aesthetics of City Films of the 21st Century,' which has not been shown before. Unlike the cities that are becoming unified, the people grow apart, like fragments. "Asako in Ruby Shoes," like the minute detail points of 'pointillism,' approaches the human psyche subtly, giving us a view of the complete picture they have achieved. From a weary house in Seoul to the brilliant neon signs of Tokyo streets, to even Alaska, defined by its refreshing skies and snows. The scenery of these colorful cities, captured in sensuous images, is waiting for us.

In the 20th century, people called the internet an 'ocean of information.' However, now, the internet is an 'ocean of communication,' where isolated people are waiting to meet. For people make homepages and wait for strangers to visit, as if leaving the front door open. And even inside a commercial site, filled with capitalistic desire, there exists yearning and excitement of finding a first love or old friends. Within a square monitor, you can click onto what you desire without anyone watching. The merchandise you want, the story you want, even the love that you've been dreaming of.

Seoul. Woo-in. 27. Male.: Woo-in, a government worker in a town office. His work consists of simple tasks like petty paperwork, making sure garbage is separated properly, distributing tax notices etc. Living away from his family and not being very social, he feels lonely and weary. The only thing Woo-in indulges himself in is searching through internet websites every night. He opens the windows of many websites, and shrugs off the loneliness of the long night. One night, a woman catches his sight. She is Mia, an assistant of the teacher in the cooking class at the town office. Woo-in is strongly attracted by her. He steals frequent glances and follows her around. And he finds a new site. There, he is able to choose his ideal woman and watch her slightest moves. He matches her to Mia's face - her eyes, nose, lips... Woo-in creates his ideal type. And in front of him appears Asako... "Welcome to my world."

Tokyo. Aya. 18. Female.: Aya, studying an extra year for the college exam. She had been fascinated by the story of her grandmother that her grandfather had committed suicide by holding his breath. Since then, the child practiced holding her breath. As a place of death, she thinks about swapping today and tomorrow. 'People won't know whether I would die today or tomorrow. Isn't that wonderful?' She works part-timely to buy plane tickets but fails every time. She goes to a website after reading a leaflet. According to the company, "You are the essence of purity. Your image will be projected to a site dispatched from Alaska. It will purify the world's solitude like white snow." Aya shows herself every day to earn money, the money that almost propels her towards death. The name of her site is "Asako," which means 'morning girl'. As she almost earns enough money, she gets a fan letter from Korea, written in broken English " I want you meet someday ..."

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