From Seoul to Varanasi (불륜의 시대)
Thursday, February 14, 2013
New Korean Films: A Wide Variety (2013 Week 7)
(by Fabien Schneider)
This week, compared to last week, is rich with new releases. But with two documentaries, an indie fiction and a harmless romantic comedy, The Berlin File and Miracle in Cell Number 7 don't have to worry about their top spots at the box office. At least until next week, when the highly anticipated The New World will climb aboard the stage.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Dirty Blood (나쁜 피, Nah-beun pi) 2012
As a society Korea has been slow to change despite its economic growth. At times it can seem like a gigantic, perpetually simmering pot of discontent that seems dangerously close to boiling over. One aspect of Korean society that is often brushed under the carpet is repressed sexuality and while it isn’t something you will encounter much in TV dramas, music and the news, the Korean film industry, of late, has been vocal in its depiction of the widespread abuse that rages through the country. Truth be told, it is often used opportunistically and many of the works in question tread a very fine line.
Dirty Blood is one such film that exists in dangerous territory. While other 2012 features that examined sex crimes in an aggressive fashion, such as Don’t Cry Mommy and Azooma, did so in a relatively black and white fashion. Director Kang Hyo-jin opts to operate in a grey area, much like Lee Don-ku did with his incendiary debut Fatal, also last year.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The Ultimate Revenge Narrative: 26 Years (26년, 26-nyeon) 2012
Just like anyone else, I come from a country (Ireland) with historical scars that refuse to completely fade away. The sad fact is that these days my connection with my home is tenuous at best. Nevertheless, as we approach the centenary following the Easter Rising of 1916, this terrible event that saw a group a passionate Irishman stand up to their English oppressors, only to be brutally suppressed, is still an indelible part of who I am.
My grandmother (who recently died aged 100) was only four when it happened. It should be ancient history for me: a bygone event that took place in a country I didn't spend much of my youth in and that I don’t easily identify with. Yet somehow, I feel a sense of solidarity with those young men (and a few women) who stood up to an unvanquishable foe in the name of what they felt was right.
KBO: Miracle, Berlin Dominate Lunar New Year Frame (02/08-02/10, 2013)
Miracle, Berlin Dominate Lunar New Year Frame
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| Title | Release Date | Market Share | Weekend | Total | Screens | |
| 1 | Miracle in Cell No. 7 | 13/01/23 | 37.10% | 1,308,317 | 6,281,296 | 802 |
| 2 | The Berlin File | 13/01/30 | 33.50% | 1,153,414 | 4,181,031 | 784 |
| 3 | A Good Day to Die Hard (us) | 13/02/06 | 14.30% | 479,370 | 625,388 | 458 |
| 4 | South Bound | 13/02/06 | 8.30% | 292,274 | 402,602 | 420 |
| 5 | The Snow Queen (ru) | 13/02/07 | 1.90% | 73,355 | 84,889 | 311 |
| 6 | Pororo: the Racing Adventure | 13/01/23 | 1.70% | 59,252 | 756,564 | 287 |
| 7 | Monsters Inc. (us) | 1/12/20 | 1.20% | 31,377 | 34,863 | 173 |
| 8 | Les Miserables (uk/us) | 12/12/19 | 0.50% | 18,153 | 5,835,054 | 51 |
| 9 | Man on the Edge | 13/01/09 | 0.40% | 13,499 | 3,884,380 | 64 |
| 10 | Life of Pie (us) | 13/01/01 | 0.20% | 4,728 | 1,568,566 | 10 |
Monday, February 11, 2013
Berlinale 2013: Pluto (명왕성, Myeongwangsong) 2012
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One of the ten Korean films screening at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival.
Film festivals can be a great place to catch up with big films from established luminaries of world cinema but for the ardent cinephile, the most exciting thing is to make a fresh discovery. With patience and some discerning selecting, you will almost always come away with a few pleasant surprises but, while it is wonderful to stumble upon an accomplished debut or sophomore films from emerging talents in the field, every so often you will see something that gives you a special feeling. It is an unmistakable sense of being part of something new and exciting, in the presence of an artist with raw talent, effortless ability and an intuitive understanding of film. These spine-tingling moments don’t happen at every festival but when they do it makes all the searching worthwhile.
Shin Su-won’s second feature Pluto gave me this feeling. However, before singing too much of its praises, I should say that it is a flawed work. More than the film itself, it is the potential of the director that gave me goosebumps. Without a doubt, Shin is about to be a major player in Korean cinema and could well become a force on the international scene before long.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Grape Candy (청포도 사탕, Chungpodo Satang) 2012
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(by Rex Baylon)
Although it’s often seen as two different conditions, a fear of loneliness and an awareness of one’s mortality, in retrospect, are two sides of the same coin. In between birth and death we all struggle with defining ourselves and giving meaning to our lives. In Kim Hee-Jeong’s sophomore feature, Grape Candy (2012), that inner conflict is played out as a drama between three women, two adults and the third a girl perpetually frozen by death as a junior high student.
The first woman we meet, Sun-Joo, played by Park Jin-Hee, is the perennial girl who seems to have everything but actually has a secret that keeps her at arms length from everyone around her. Her nice job at the bank, charming fiancée, and comfortable life keep her distracted enough to not have to deal with her emotionally desiccated heart until an old classmate So-ra (Park Ji-Yoon) reappears in her life. Working alongside Sun-Joo’s fiancée Ji-Hoon (Choi Won-Young) to complete a new book, the film at first seems to be about a love triangle with So-ra and Sun-Joo competing for Ji-Hoon’s attention. But as quickly as that plot thread is introduced it is soon dropped and we get a series of mysterious scenes of Sun-Joo looking forlorn, So-ra rocking out to music, a woman in a bookstore who refuses to take the phone whenever So-ra calls, and most mysterious of all a flashback to three junior high girls outside, each with an expression of terror on their faces.
Berlinale 2013: White Night (백야, Baekya) 2012
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South Korea’s rapid development over the past 20 years has been nothing short of an economic miracle but, though there’s no denying how far it’s come, not every element of society has progressed at the same breakneck pace. Various elements, particularly as they relate to social change, have stubbornly lagged behind. One such facet is the acceptance of homosexuality. As gay marriage is slowly becoming a part of daily life in various countries in the western world, gay rights are progressing haltingly in Korea. Given the nation’s advances in other areas, this, along with other social problems, seems a little incongruous when compared with the modern image projected through the nation’s media.
Through the prism of a highly developed film industry such as Korea’s, this divide seems that much more vivid. LeeSong Hee-il, Korea’s first openly gay filmmaker, has been busily working away on short films for quite some time but earlier this year he finally unveiled his sophomore feature White Night at the Jeonju International Film Festival, coming six years after his very well-received debut No Regrets.
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