KITSAT-1
is sort of like Skylab, but when she fell to Earth, she turned into a girl. Kyung-chun
used to be a boy, which would have made them a good match, but he turned into a
cow, because that sort of thing regularly happens to the broken hearted in this
world. So maybe she is a bit stiff and he is a bit bovine—love can still find a
way in Jang Hyung-yun’s Satellite Girl
and Milk Cow (trailer
here),
which screens during the 2015 New York International Children’s Film Festival.
KITSAT-1
was Korea’s first satellite, but hardly anyone notices when she goes on the
fritz. After decades of observing Koreans from all walks of life, she wants to
join in. She will have the opportunity thanks to Merlin, who has assumed the
form of a roll of toilet paper, because he could. Suddenly Kyung-chun is sharing
his apartment with Il-ho, as KITSAT-1 now calls herself, and the wizard himself.
At least thanks to Merlin’s help, Kyung-chun is able to temporarily return to
his prior human appearance in a magical suit that is logically made out of
enchanted toilet paper.
It
turns out Kyung-chun could actually use the help going incognito. Lately, he
has been stalked by a shadowy poacher, whose employer covets the reputed power
that comes from ingesting the organs of broken-hearted changelings like
Kyung-chun. Fortunately, Il-ho is there to protect him with her Inspector
Gadget-like projectile limbs, in between their bickering.
SG&MC sounds completely
bonkers and it probably is, but it feels relatively normal in the moment.
Things just work differently in its world—roll with it. In fact, the vibe is
more closely akin to a Korean rom-com. It’s your basic satellite meets moo cow
story. However, nobody dies from cancer at the end, so it stays safely in
rom-com territory rather than taking on the tone of a tragically romantic blockbuster.
Throughout
the film, Jang maintains an appealing mix of sweetness and goofiness. After
all, it is easy to identify with Kyung-chun because everyone has had their
hearts ripped out, stomped to pieces, and then kicked into their faces at some
point in time. He gets a key assist from Hong Sang-soo regular Jung Yu-mi (Oki’s Movie, In Another Country), who charming voiceover performance brings the
awkward but earnest Il-ho fully to life.
