It's only been two years since Filmbrain discovered Korean cinema, but it's been a very rewarding experience. Directors such as Hong Sang-soo, Park Ki-yong, Kim Ki-duk and Lee Chang-dong have created films that are intelligent, challenging, and beautifully crafted. They breathe new life into old genres, and while their films are distinctively Asian, they are often very open about displaying their Western influences. (More so than their Chinese, Taiwanese, or even some Japanese counterparts.) This unique blend works perfectly -- the resulting films have been some of the most compelling cinema Filmbrain has seen in years.
Filmbrain plans on devoting future posts to individual films that have rocked his world, but wanted to share the news that the latest film from Im Sang-soo won the Golden Lotus at the Deauville Asian Film Festival on Sunday. The head of the jury was Olivier Assayas, the former Mr. Maggie Cheung, and a huge fan of Asian cinema himself.
The film, A Good Lawyer's Wife, caused quite a bit of controversy in Korea even before the film opened (see trailer - large, but worth it.) The film, which dissects the traditional Korean family, touches on such subjects as infidelity, alcoholism, and death, and focuses on a relationship between a older married woman and a teenage boy. Said by some to be terribly unsettling, it is no doubt another fine example of the brutally honest portrayal of relationships and human weakness that is so often depicted in contemporary Korean cinema.
It's doubtful that this film will get a US release, so Filmbrain thanks Buddha for DVD Asian. Should have this in about 2-3 days. . .
since you brought up korean cinema, have you heard of and/or seen "my sassy girl"? :)
Posted by: conell | 2004.03.17 at 10:25 PM
Surprisingly enough, this is one of the titles I haven't seen. (It's readily available, but for some reason I've been avoiding it.)
Have you seen it? Any thoughts?
Posted by: FIlmbrain | 2004.03.17 at 10:38 PM
yes, i have. a friend even gave me a copy of it on my birthday. it would seem like a goofy, slapstick kind of movie at first, but i loved the ending. i would classify it as a romantic comedy. vomit, butt-nakedness, and repeated death threats (want me to kill you?). hehe.
Posted by: conell | 2004.03.18 at 07:21 PM
romantic comedy. vomit, butt-nakedness, and repeated death threats (want me to kill you?)
Wow -- sounds like my kind of movie. . .
Posted by: FIlmbrain | 2004.03.18 at 11:37 PM