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Oasis
User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7

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  1. HendarP.
    Jun 18, 2004
    9
    This is a very heart-breaking, tears-shedding, and taboo-wrenching romance film! An unlikely piece of being "fall in love."
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  2. EdB.
    Nov 12, 2006
    9
    A daring, disturbing film encompassing practically every universal theme and emotion facing any human being. This film takes the concept of the literary "fool" and twists it a turn tighter, in a wrenching portrayal of taboo love, family, deceipt, betrayal, prejudice, exploitation, sibling rivalry, misapprehension, public humiliation, greed, guilt, shame, and at the very least Hope, truly a masterpiece of story-telling, told with so little guile and pretension as to be almost child-like in its innocence. The Oscar-deserving scene of the public, psychological melt-down by the leading male actor at the birthday dinner is a performance of a lifetime and stunning in its emotional clarity. This film puts to shame almost everything coming out of Hollywood these days.… Expand
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  3. ChadS.
    Jul 12, 2004
    9
    "Oasis" is "Pumpkin" with a straight face, a take-no-prisoners portrait of loving, really loving, the disabled. Our (anti-)hero reminded me of Arnold Friedman. Both men are guilty, but they're guilty for the wrong crime. What prompts the love affair between Jong-du (Sol Kyung-gu) and Gong-ju (Moon So-ri), plays like a variation of the male nurse/woman in a coma coupling in Pedro Almadovar's "Talk to Her", but here, the cretin redeems himself, sort of. Director Lee Chang-Dong will be accused of being tasteless when Jong-du and Gong-ju consumate their love, but it's a test for the audience, I think. We join the people in "Oasis" who treat the cerebal palsy like they're mentally impaired. Gong-ju projects a double, a normal and healthy woman, which is Chang-Dong's way to convey that the affair is composed of two consenting adults. "Oasis" is an amazing film. Moon So-ri make Cuba "Radio" Gooding and Dustin "Rainman" Hoffman look like amateurs in depicting the "handicapped". "Oasis" is one of South Korea's many calling cards as a major player in the international film marketplace. … Expand
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  4. Jake
    Mar 29, 2006
    3
    Another dishonest film about mental retardation and physical disability, meant to flatter the audience with its own (presumed) benevolence, in contrast to the unfeeling or selfish characters in the film. The male character is evidently mentally retarded, but his traits and behavior belong strictly to the movies. The woman apparently has cerebral palsy, but with normal intelligence. Consequently, the "affair" between makes no sense, unless (like the filmmaker) you can't distingiush between physical and mental disability. I can only suggest that the critics who loved the film devote time to caring for a severely disabled person, and see if their experience conforms to this nonsensical film.… Expand
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Martin Rubin
    70
    Skating fearlessly on the edge of tastelessness and sentimentality, Oasis is another strong, provocative film by Lee Chang-dong.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: David Rooney
    80
    An eloquent expression of both unorthodox romance and bitter disillusionment with the hypocritical institutions of family and society.
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  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Michael Atkinson
    90
    Oasis is utterly beguiling because Lee, like many other percipient Asian filmmakers, is simply more attentive to his characters' emotional tumult than the audience's.
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