Not Trying To Cause a Big Sensation

To say that the Korean independent film scene is far from flourishing is somewhat of an understatement. Of the relatively small number of low-budget features that are made each year, only a few manage to find their way to DVD. One that did, fortunately, is 2004's My Generation, the debut feature from Noh Dong-seok. Though neither revolutionary nor groundbreaking, it's an impressive debut that manages to put a unique spin on a subject that has become the de facto standard for indie films -- the woes of twenty-somethings. The premise of My Generation couldn't be simpler -- eponymously named Kim Byoung-seok and You Jae-kyoung are a young Seoul couple saddled with money problems. Byoung-seok is an aspiring filmmaker who has recently spent all of his money on a digital video camera, and who performs various odd jobs to pay his way, including stoking barbeque fires for a restaurant. His girlfriend, the ever-melancholic Jae-kyoung, has difficulty holding a job for more than a few days. (Her loan-shark boss fires her for being too depressing.) Both find themselves caught up in a seemingly insolvable financial crisis -- he is forced to pay a loan his brother has defaulted on, while she loses a hefty sum after being suckered into a ponzi scheme. With only the barest minimum of dialog, Noh manages to convey a genuine sense of tenderness and compassion between the couple, even if they both come off as rather passionless. They don't let their respective predicaments come between them, and each has the other's best interest at heart. There are some wonderful sequences -- the two of them sitting under a pear tree waiting for the fruit to fall, or watching a drive-in movie from a distance with binoculars -- that are played for neither sentimentality nor cuteness, as they would (and have) in countless other films. In fact, there's an almost Bressonian stoicism to the whole film that never feels forced or contrived, and Noh is to be credited for pulling it off so seamlessly.(Like L'Argent, the universal mechanism of money and its use as a surrogate for human emotion (to paraphrase Acquarello) is at the film's core.) What the film lacks in plot it more than makes up for in its execution. Shot in grainy, high-contrast black and white, Noh's shot composition and blocking seems more like the work of a seasoned pro than that of a first-timer. Everything is used quite economically -- dialog, music, camera movements -- and it skillfully manages to avoid that "first film" feel. The few color sequences (those shot by Byoung-seok on his DV camera) are in sharp contrast -- shaky and amateurish, yet very much connected with the character's emotional state. What separates this film from its American indie equivalent is a greater critical distance from its subjects. Unlike Bujalski's Funny Ha Ha (for example), which strives for self-identification and has that "hey, let's make a film about ourselves" feel to it, My Generation's characters are more abstractions than they are actual representatives of the zeitgeist. (Noh's title is perhaps more fitting for Bujalski's film.) The film's final scene, which breaks from the stoic steady state, contains the only genuine display of emotion, and it's as remarkably powerful as it is restrained. Though the conclusion is somewhat Gift of the Magi-esque (yet far darker), we get to witness the outcome of a character who has been forced to compromise her values. Short and simple, yet saying so much, it's the kind of closing moment that one comes across far too rarely, and one that bears repeated viewings. Though many will no doubt find My Generation slow moving and pointless, there are more than a few rewards for those willing to see it through. One of the most impressive debuts in recent history, Noh is definitely a director to watch.

Comments

[Adam]

My favorite film from 2004, a lackluster year for KFilm, so that's not saying much, but still my favorite. I love that barking scene at the car window, or how they playfully bump each other as they walk to thier room at the love motel.

[Adam]

Let me correct what I intended to begin that comment w/ - "My favorite KOREAN film from 2004 . . ."

[Filmbrain]

Yes, Adam, it is precisely those type of scenes that make the film so special.

I was really pleased to read your review over at Koreanfilm.org. Wish I had come across the film earlier.

[burritoboy]

I actually saw this in the theater (let us all thank the gods for the Gene Siskel Film Center). It was on my list for one of the ten best of last year. Your comments are right on target. Another movie that I think relates quite well to My Generation is Frank Ross' Quietly on By, which takes an American attempt at similar themes.

[phyrephox]

Sounds really interesting, I'd really like to check this out. I loved Funny Ha Ha and the comparison between the two is intriguing.

On another K-film note, Hong's Woman is the Future of Man is finally getting a theatrical release in NYC startings this Friday.

[C.Mason]

Is there something inherently wrong with "self-identification" and the "'hey, let's make a film about ourselves' feel"? I admire critical distance as much as the next guy, but I think it takes guts to really lay everything bare on the big screen, a la Love Streams. Also, I think Funny Ha Ha is far too personal and specific to self-consciously attempt a represention of the zeitgeist. Have you seen Mutual Appreciation yet, Filmbrain? I really do think you'll like that one more. Many more sternum kicks.

Frank Ross's Quietly On By is one of the best unknown American films of the last few years. It's astonishing what he's able to accomplish with a camcorder, friends as actors, and a budget under $800. Funnily enough, Bujalski is a big fan of his work, too. Small world.

[Adam]

Phyrephox,

Where will WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN be screening in NYC?

Adam

[phyrephox]

Adam,

At the Cinema Village (http://www.cinemavillage.com).

[Adam]

Thanks.

[Filmbrain]

Once again, the mere mention of Bujalski and Cassavetes in the same sentence makes me shudder. Bujalski may have, as you said, laid everything bare, but the problem is that what he laid bare just isn't very interesting. Sure, he perfectly captured the modes of behavior and dialog patterns of a particular niche of young white slackers -- people he obviously knows well -- but that itself doesn't equate to something interesting for the viewer.

Cassavetes may have made films with his wife and friends, filmed in his own house, etc., but his stories were not recreations of conversations or incidents that took place. He explored facets of human relationships in a way that nobody had done prior.

Somebody emailed yesterday telling me how much he hated My Generation because he thought the two were a couple of losers, and how he would never act like that. There's the thing that bugs me -- this need that some people have for characters to act and behave as they would. Boring, if you ask me.

I've not yet seen Bujalski's followup, but I will. I'm very curious about Quietly On By -- is it available on DVD?

[burritoboy]

"Somebody emailed yesterday telling me how much he hated My Generation because he thought the two were a couple of losers, and how he would never act like that."

I would probably stop communicating with that person entirely. Anybody who has that much lack of empathy is a person with a severely distorted soul (I'm talking about torturer/concentration camp guard/terrorist level here).

Of course, everyone (or 99.999% of humanity) is a loser in some ways.

The more important thought is that My Generation is reflecting on the vast changes in the economy that are relatively recent everywhere (and extremely recent in South Korea, which is one reason the best movie dealing with them comes from there). Americans are just as affected by these changes, and indeed are much more likely to be forced to deal with them than Koreans. Economic changes like: the lack of growth in the world's core economies, high unemployment rates among educated young people, increasing levels of personal debt and overuse of credit, declining income equality and so on.

Anyway, they're not losers in the sense that they're intentionally making obviously horrific-level bad decisions (that would be more like Cassavetes, actually). They're not addicts, they have at least normal-level talents, the girl is perhaps mildly depressing but nothing outrageous, they maintain modest lifestyles, try to assist family members and so on.

"I'm very curious about Quietly On By -- is it available on DVD?"

Eighteen bucks from http://molehillindependent.com/MOLEsite/orders.htm