Movie reviews

WARSAW KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL

밀양 (SECRET SUNSHINE)

Watchable. A compelling depiction of deteriorating into clinical depression. Still, psychologically, it didn't ring true because the 5 stages of grief are omitted. Shot on tape which makes it look archaic. 

SEMINAR ON 이창동 (LEE CHANG-DONG)

Kim Young-jin and Miłosz Stelmach shed more light on the director and his movies. 
이창동 (Lee Chang-dong) didn't go to film school. He wrote 2 books first but needed a change and decided not to write plays any more. 박광수 (Park Kwang-su) offered him to work together on "그 섬에 가고싶다" ("To the Starry Island"). His directorial debut was well received so he continued this kind of job. 
The director claims he's not a pessimist. He just likes observing how people react when they have no control over their life. His script is often more emotional than the eventual movie, on the screen he's distant to viewers. In his view such a film should act as consolation because when he lost a family member he only felt better when somebody with the same experience held his hand.
밀양 ("Secret Sunshine") contains many political metaphors, e.g. a reference to a brutal mass murder by the government where it's still not clear who did it. The families haven't forgive but the new goverment has. 
In the early 2000s he was the Minister of Culture bu he didn't enjoy the post because "he didn't do all his life and now he can't continue this life". He prepared 2 volumes of a plan for the Ministry but the next government cancelled it. When he went back from flying first class to flying enonomy he was happy with it. 
Strangers to Korea often ask about Christianity in his films. It turns out there are many competing churches which make profit from the faithful. The director criticizes this phenomenon in his movies. In Korea, "he says he doesn't criticize but he does". 
The ministerial position didn't help him create movies. Korea has obligatory army service, which lasted 3 years back then, and he says he felt like in the army again. As a minister, he couldn't support movie-makers more - they had to be equal to others. In Korea, there's a  screen quota - a specific number of Korean productions must be shown at the cinema. The US pressured the country to do away with the limit - the less Korean movies will be shown the more space for American productions. The President told him to resign before he has to shorten the list. He did but was still criticized.  
밀양 is the director's hometown. On top of that its name is unusual (meaning: secret sunshine) but the town ordinary
The gaps between releasing movies are down to his perfectionism. He writes well so producers are ready to make his films but it's he who won't accept the production. Once even actors were all ready but he resigned one day before shooting because the script was "unrealistic". He's sensitive to viewers' reception and feels hurt if his movie's not popular, e.g. he expected a reward in Cannes for "버닝" ("Burning") but he didn't get one - eventually the film wasn't so popular in Korea.
Many directors dream of working in Hollywood. He doesn't, because working abroad is always exhausting, especially in Hollywood.