Thursday, June 10, 2010

Introduction to "Poetry" the Film

I think it's easy to live without poetry
and easy to forget about it once you graduate from school.
But you still need it. It's something that can bring out 
things you can't see with your eyes. . . .*
~ Lee Chang-dong

A new film — Poetry, by the South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong — premiered last month at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival, held May 12-23. It is described in its official synposis as "[a] profound story of an elderly woman in search of the fundamental poetry from her life. Aside from being sentenced with Alzheimer's disease, she faces another dilemma when her teen-aged grandson who is under her care is found to be one of the assaulters of a girl from his junior-high school who had committed suicide." Though poor and living on a government subsidy, the lonely but curious protagonist finds a certain happiness in such things a floral-print dresses and hats and when she enrolls in a poetry-writing class, which exposes her to the beauty in even the common and the mundane, makes it her goal to write poems. Her discovery about her grandson forces her to look at a darker, uglier side of life. 

Considered one of Asia's finest, most talented directors, Chang-dong (b. 1954) began his professional life as a novelist and then moved on to screenwriting. His first feature as a director was the 1997 Green Fish, which won an award an the 16th Vancouver International Film Festival. His next, the award-winning Peppermint Candy (2000), had its premiere at the 4th Pusan International Film Festival and, after being screened at Cannes, was shown at more than 30 film festivals around the world. Chang-dong also directed Oasis (2002), which tells the story of a man with mental disabilities who falls in love with a woman with severe cerebral palsy, and Secret Sunshine (2007), deemed an existential drama. He is the producer of A Brand New Life (2009) and Never Forever (2007). 

Below is a trailer for the film, which stars 65-year-old Yoon Jeong-hee, who has been absent from acting for nearly 20 years. (The audio is in Korean. I think, however, you can get a good sense of the film's sensibility without understanding the language.) 

*An interesting interview (in English) with the director and the beautiful veteran actress is here.


Resources

Hancinema, The Korean Movie & Drama Database

Awards for Lee Chang-dong

Chang-dong YouTube videos  (Included here are film trailers, Chang-dong's recorded appearances at various film festivals, and interesting interviews with the director.)

7 comments:

Glynn said...

If it makes it to the theater that shows foreign films here, I'll see it -- you convinced me. If not, I'll hope for the best from Netflix.

Ami Mattison said...

I've been reading a lot about this film, and I'm so hoping to see it soon. Thanks for the post!

Louise Gallagher said...

I saw Green Fish and it was stunning. Hope this one makes it too to the screens here.

Joyce Wycoff said...

Maureen ... thanks for bringing this to our attention ... I do hope we get a chance to see it. The trailer is lovely even without translation.

Billy Coffey said...

That looks very interesting. Unfortunately, films such as these seldom make their way down here to the sticks. I'm going to have to go with Glynn and hope for Netflix.

Anonymous said...

It's something that can bring out
things you can't see with your eyes. . .


i agree

jenne' andrews said...

This is a fascinating saga-- the idea that turning to poetry can help us integrate a life. I believe that. There is such a wealth of things to see and do here-- it's better than a day in Manhattan, to just tour a week's worth of your blog! really a feast for senses and soul. Whatever you're taking, I want some! :) your frazzled poet, J