Upon close inspection of body kinesthetics, it appears to me that this was the original orientation of the actors for this shot. Note how Song Kang-Ho’s fingers appear to bear no weight, apparently hanging in repose or extending flat into thin air, while Kim Ok-Vin’s toes, foot arch, and knee bend are symmetrical and show clear lines of force. Given the physicality she displayed in her performance, it’s not surprising to see her strike a dancer’s pose such as this.

All of the tension in this shot originates from her, extending throughout her upper body as well. If it weren’t for the compositional consideration (noted below), I would assume the decision to flip the pic were solely to obviate how thoroughly he melts into the background behind her feisty portrayal. She certainly enlivened her starring film role with equal panache.

Although it was edited to appease South Korea’s Media Rating Board’s objection to depicting a priest in an ostensibly sexual pose (her legs were removed and his arms were more ambiguously arranged aside her torso), it’s a shame that the original image (actually implying the figure of a “Bat” - the Korean title) was not restored for American release. It seems unlikely that they would fail to understand American “thirst” for sex (there, I said it) in the cinema, so one may unfortunately infer that the reach of their country’s censorship extends to their exports.

That such affronts to artistic integrity still exist in our world, now that’s a damn shame!