Sympathy for Mr. Jealousy

When Filmbrain first saw Park Chan-ok's Jealousy is My Middle Name a few years back, it didn't leave that great an impression. What a difference a few years makes -- watching it again this past week, he realized what an absolutely perfect (and important) film it is. Director Park Chan-ok began her career working for Hong Sang-soo, and was assistant director on the magnificent Virgin Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors. An interesting bit of information, because Jealousy is My Middle Name can almost be considered a feminist take on that story. (Is it merely coincidence that both films feature Mun Seong-kun in a similar role?) Like Virgin Stripped..., Park's film finds two men interested in the same woman, though in this instance it isn't virginal innocence but rather a strong, savvy, independent photographer (Bae Chong-ok) that is the object of their desire. Yet whereas Hong's film is centered around the efforts of the competing men (including a shifting narrative perspective), Park uses the setup as a means of exploring the often twisted inner workings of her two male characters. As the film opens, Won-sang (Park Hae-il) has just been dumped by his girlfriend. She has been having an affair with Yun-shik (Mun Seong-kun) an older, married man who is the editor of a literary magazine. Won-sang manages to land a job at the magazine, where he finds himself simultaneously repulsed and fascinated by his rival. And though Yun-shik quickly seduces the new photographer that Won-sang is interested in, he is still drawn towards this man, and the two forge a tight, almost father-son relationship. Park doesn't pull any punches with her characterizations, though they are never exaggerated to the point of caricature. Yun-shik is a horrible person -- an arrogant, unfaithful, bitter man who seduces women as replacement for his own failed writing career. This trait is found in several of Hong Sang-soo's characters as well, but unlike them, Yun-shik openly admits that his affairs are all he has left. He takes full advantage of Won-sang's idolization of him, even after learning that it was his ex-girlfriend he stole. And though he genuinely likes the young man, he still gets a charge out of having Won-sang at his feet.

What Park handles so wonderfully in the film's two-plus hours is the change that Won-sang goes through. When we first meet him, he's a kind, quiet, meticulous guy who spends his nights diligently working on his dissertation. He avoids the obvious flirtations of Hye-ok, his landlord's daughter -- a young, attractive woman who runs a yarn store, though he is always coming to her aid when she has difficulty with her mentally ill father. The amount of time Won-sang spends with Yun-shik (a man who has now seduced two women that he was interested in) has a detrimental effect on him, culminating in some reprehensible behavior towards Hye-ok. Yun-shik, who began as Won-sang's nemesis, has now become his master. There's no question that Park's outlook is cynical. Nice guys finish last, so why not embrace the opposite. Won-sang marvels at how easy things come to Yun-shik -- why then should he work hard and be a nice guy if the rewards are greater for being a bastard? The question remains -- does Park see this as indicative of typical male behavior (in Korea, at least)? It appears so, as the film comes off more as a bit of social criticism than a simple straightforward narrative. The women in her film don't fare much better -- the two unmarried women are hardly content with their situations, and both have an unfounded reason why they are unlikely to find husbands. Yun-shik's wife (who isn't even given a name) is little more than a servant, and she must quietly accept her husband's infidelity (which he does little to hide.) If there is hope for male-female relationships, it lies in the younger generations, as evinced by the film's final, disturbing sequence, which finds a perceptive young girl who is already able to see through the "new" Won-sang. Jealousy is My Middle Name is easily the most sublime Korean film by a female director that Filmbrain has come across. There's not a superfluous scene or line of dialog to be found, and the three leads truly bring Park's rich characters to life. It's a remarkable a debut as Hong's The Day a Pig Fell Into a Well, and here's hoping that we see more from her in the near future.

Comments

[Adam]

II tried to catch Park Chan-ok's new short film WARM SWAMP at PIFF when I was there, but due to the ticket-securing protocol for the press, it was sold out by the time I was able to try to secure a ticket. One of the many disappointments at PIFF I had not getting to see certain films that were well compensated for by all the wonderful films I did get to see.

Here's the link to info about her latest short film -
http://www.piff.org/eng/html/program/prog_view.asp?c_idx=19&idx=10257

Adam

[phyrephox]

Since I'm not familiar with this film or filmmaker, could you talk about her style a bit?

[Filmbrain]

The time she spent with Hong clearly had an influence on her, for the film bares a strong resemblence to several of his earlier works.

She does some wonderful things with color in many shots, such as having a particular color appear in several places in a single shot, both in the back- and foreground. It's a very warm looking film -- lots of red, brown and yellow, with the exception of the editor's house, which is mostly a chilly blue-white.

The transfer on the Korean DVD is wonderful, and it also includes an early short film of hers, but without English subtitles.

[Adam]

Koreanfilm.org just put up a brief bio of the lead actor in this film, PARK Hae-il, btw - http://www.koreanfilm.org/actors2.html#parkhi

There's also one of MOON Sung-keun that's been up for sometime - http://www.koreanfilm.org/actors.html#moonsg

Adam

[blese]

this is one of my favorites. (jealousy is my power) was the first korean film i saw which struck me as having a really strong, unique voice. i love the way the love triangle dynamic was twisted into something unexpected but still credible - as well as the transformation wong-san's relationships. it wasn't until the second viewing that i caught a hint something, perhaps dark, foreshadowed between wong-san and yun-shik's daughter... perhaps this is a revenge movie after all. i would also recommend 'a good lawyers wife' for comparison.

[phyrephox]

How's the dvd of this (transfer/subtitles)?