3-Iron (2004) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A silent couple creates an intimate world outside conventional law, domestic control, and stable reality.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

Menus Behind Closed Doors

Tae-suk secretly occupies apartments whose takeout menus have not been removed. His unusual domestic routine changes when he encounters Sun-hwa in a large home.

Key Events

• Menu-Keyhole Routine — Tae-suk tapes menus over doors and enters apartments whose menus remain untouched. Characters: Tae-suk Location: Apartment buildings
• Living in Empty Homes — He washes clothes, repairs appliances, and photographs himself with owners' possessions. Characters: Tae-suk Location: Unoccupied apartments
• Watched by Sun-hwa — Tae-suk enters a large home without realizing Sun-hwa is watching him. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: Sun-hwa's home
• First Silent Encounter — Tae-suk makes eye contact with Sun-hwa, leaves, and then returns. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: Sun-hwa's home

Escape from the Abuser

Tae-suk witnesses Min-gyu abusing Sun-hwa and retaliates with golf balls. Sun-hwa leaves with Tae-suk, beginning their silent life together.

Key Events

• First Silent Encounter — Tae-suk makes eye contact with Sun-hwa, leaves, and then returns. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: Sun-hwa's home
• Golf Ball Retaliation — Tae-suk distracts Min-gyu with golf practice and hits him with golf balls. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa, Min-gyu Location: The house yard
• Leaving Together — Tae-suk leaves the house with Sun-hwa after confronting Min-gyu. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: Outside the house
• Shared Apartment Life — They move between apartments and share temporary domestic routines. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: Various apartments
• Golf Ball Experiments — Tae-suk drills golf balls, attaches cords, and practices striking them around trees. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: Apartment yards

A Ball of Guilt

The pair share temporary homes and develop Tae-suk's unusual golf practice. When a ball injures a passenger, guilt interrupts their fragile freedom.

Key Events

• Golf Ball Experiments — Tae-suk drills golf balls, attaches cords, and practices striking them around trees. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: Apartment yards
• Boxer Finds Them — Returning owners find Tae-suk and Sun-hwa asleep in their bed and wearing their pajamas. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: An occupied apartment
• Punches in the Bedroom — The male homeowner, described as a boxer, repeatedly punches Tae-suk. Characters: Tae-suk Location: An occupied apartment
• Ball Breaks Loose — A tied golf ball breaks loose and crashes through a nearby car windshield. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: Near a tree and parked car
• Guilt and Consolation — The injured passenger leaves Tae-suk overwhelmed with guilt, while Sun-hwa comforts him. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: Near the parked car

Burial Without Words

Tae-suk and Sun-hwa share a quiet kiss in a hanok before finding an elderly man's body. Their attempt to honor him is mistaken for murder.

Key Events

• Quiet Hanok Evening — They sit quietly, drink tea, and share a kiss in a hanok. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: Hanok
• Dead Elderly Man — They enter an apartment and discover the body of an elderly man. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: An apartment
• Proper Burial — Tae-suk and Sun-hwa give the deceased man a proper burial. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: The elderly man's apartment
• Mistaken Accusation — The arriving family assumes that Tae-suk and Sun-hwa killed the elderly man. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: The elderly man's apartment

The Dream of Return

The investigation clears them, but Min-gyu retaliates and Tae-suk is imprisoned. After mastering concealment, Tae-suk returns secretly to Sun-hwa, ending in an uncertain dreamlike union.

Key Events

• Silent Interrogation — They are apprehended and interrogated, but remain silent as the camera is confiscated. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: Police station
• Evidence Clears Them — The investigation finds nothing stolen and establishes that the elderly man died of lung cancer. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: Police station
• Min-gyu's Retaliation — Min-gyu takes Sun-hwa home and arranges for Tae-suk to be struck with golf balls. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa, Min-gyu Location: Police station
• Jailhouse Transformation — After attacking a police officer, Tae-suk is jailed and develops stealth that frustrates his jailers. Characters: Tae-suk Location: Jail
• Invisible Return — Released from prison, Tae-suk secretly rejoins Sun-hwa while evading Min-gyu's detection. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa, Min-gyu Location: Sun-hwa's house
• Hidden Kiss — Sun-hwa embraces Min-gyu but kisses Tae-suk over his shoulder. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa, Min-gyu Location: Sun-hwa's house
• Scale and Uncertainty — After Min-gyu leaves on business, Tae-suk and Sun-hwa stand together on a scale as reality and dreams blur. Characters: Tae-suk, Sun-hwa Location: Sun-hwa's house

Story Breakdown

• Tae-suk's Solitary Routine — Tae-suk lives temporarily in other people's apartments while remaining almost completely alone.
  • Menu Entry System — He enters homes when taped takeout menus have not been removed.
  • Domestic Repairs — He washes clothes, fixes appliances, and photographs himself with household possessions.
• Sun-hwa's Silent Watch — Sun-hwa observes Tae-suk inside her home before their first silent connection.
  • Unexpected Eye Contact — Tae-suk notices Sun-hwa watching him and leaves before returning.
  • A Hidden Abusive Marriage — Tae-suk witnesses Min-gyu abusing Sun-hwa.
• Escape Through Golf — Tae-suk confronts Min-gyu and leaves with Sun-hwa.
  • Yard Distraction — Tae-suk practices golf to draw Min-gyu's attention.
  • Leaving Together — He strikes Min-gyu with golf balls and takes Sun-hwa away.
• Temporary Intimacy — Tae-suk and Sun-hwa build a quiet relationship while occupying different apartments.
  • Shared Apartment Life — They sleep, dress, and live together in borrowed domestic spaces.
  • Hanok Kiss — They drink tea and share a kiss in a hanok.
• Guilt and Misjudgment — Their unconventional life produces both accidental harm and a fatal misunderstanding.
  • Broken Golf Cord — A golf ball breaks loose and strikes a passenger through a car windshield.
  • Burial Accusation — After burying an elderly man, they are suspected of killing him.
• Law and Retaliation — The investigation clears the couple, but Min-gyu's retaliation sends Tae-suk into prison.
  • Silent Interrogation — Tae-suk and Sun-hwa remain silent while the camera and apartment evidence are investigated.
  • Min-gyu's Golf Punishment — Min-gyu arranges for Tae-suk to be hit with golf balls.
• Invisible Reunion — Tae-suk turns concealment into a means of returning to Sun-hwa.
  • Jailhouse Stealth — He practices with imaginary golf equipment and evades his jailers.
  • Hidden Kiss — He secretly rejoins Sun-hwa and receives her concealed kiss.
• Dreamlike Resolution — The couple's final union makes the boundary between reality and fantasy uncertain.
  • Min-gyu Leaves — Sun-hwa and Tae-suk remain together after Min-gyu leaves on a business trip.
  • Shared Scale — They stand together on a scale as the film questions whether their world is real or a dream.

Directed by

Kim Ki-duk

Key Cast

• Lee Seung-yun — Sun-hwa
• Jae Hee — Tae-suk
• Kwon Hyuk-ho — Min-gyu
• Ju Jin-mo — Detective Jo
• Jeong-ho Choi — Jailor