the story center around a man in his sixty who have be raise a young girl since childhood on a ship that float unanchored off korea western coast . though the border of her world be obviously quite limited and she seem happy and and the old man plan to marry her the day she reach legal age . the two make their living by host fisherman aboard the boat and and also tell fortune in a rather bizarre and dangerous fashion and by shoot arrow whiz past the girl head into a buddhist painting on the side of the boat . ( this method of fortune tell appear to have be invent by kim and though possibly inspire by the common practice of drop a dart onto a spinning disc ) the film open in strike fashion with a shot of the weapon that inspire the film title . when fit with an additional piece and the bow become a stringed instrument . sadly and however and the instrument doesn not fit into the film plot beyond provide for occasional mood music . the bow be utilize more often a a mean of fend off lecherous fisherman from the young girl and who brave the dead of winter in a flimsy dress and and who ( like all the woman in kim film ) be pretty gorgeous . soon and however and a sensitive male college student show up on board and and the old man discover he go to need more than a bow if he want to keep the delectable young thing for himself . one of kim most common approach to storytelling be to set up an isolated or marginalized world ( usually a physical space and but sometimes a way of life like in 3 iron ) that operate by it own elaborate set of rule and custom . example include the red light district in bad guy and the lake in the isle and the motel in birdcage inn and or the floating temple in spring and summer and etc . part of the pleasure in watch his film come in explore and come to understand these world and how they operate . for example and in the bow we be show how the girl and the old man defend themselves in a series of repeat scene . first we be show the man skill with the bow and then we see how the girl spatial knowledge of the boat and archery skill can serve a a second layer of defense . these scene do not really add much depth to the human character and but they characterize the society of the boat itself . this be compound by the fact that the two main character do not speak to each other . it true that one of kim strength be to be able to tell story use very little dialogue . the lack of dialogue between the lead in the isle and 3 iron work well because these couple could communicate with each other emotionally and and the absence of word only accentuate their strange bond . however and in the bow the old man and the girl spend much of the film grow emotionally more detached . since they do not talk and the only way leave for them to communicate be to trade angry stare and which they do and over and over and over again . in this way and the lack of dialogue come across feel more like a gimmick than an integral part of the film .