[Illusion] is a melodrama with eroticism and retro touches. Set in the late 1950s, the film shows retro touches in every aspect including dramatic structure, music, and performances. Also, with its surreal images, [Illusion] creates a unique, poignant atmosphere. A prospective artist Miguel comes to Manila to meet his father who is an artist, only to find out his father has gone away for a long trip. He decides to stay at his father′s for a while. He meets Stella, a nude model for his father, and falls in love with her. Their encounters are dreamy and fantasy-like for Miguel, but it is real. The physical relationship with Stella is another step of growing up for Miguel, but it is also a way to compensate Miguel`s sense of loss, which has its roots in the absence of his mother. When Miguel is on the way to find Stella who left him, it is a search for his lover as well as for his lost mother. During his search, he is able to escape from his own fantasy and face his reality. He becomes a real grown-up, as his letter that he left for his father shows. (Kim Ji-seok)