Continuing our coverage of this years Korean film Festival In Australia (KOFFIA) here’s Part 2 of our overview of the films screening - check out our introduction to this years KOFFIA festival here and Part 1 of the films overview here…
Bedevilled (Jang Chul-soo / 2010)
It’s safe to say that South Korea is recognised intenationally for some brutal revenge flicks, but Bedevilled – the debut feature from director Jang Chul-soo (who was previosuly an assistant director for Kim Ki-duk) – not only delivers the thrills and brutality expected from this type of film, but manages to inject an unexpected level of depth and characterisation into proceedings. Bedevilled is much more powerful than you might at first expect given its ‘revenge’ label, and it’s a film that deserves more than to be simply flagged under the horror genre.
The story of two childhood friends reunited as adults, one of whom now lives in the city while the other has remained on the tiny island where they both grew up, Bedevilled focuses on the treatment of women in their relationships with their partners, with other men, with their families and in their role in society and the way that these different relationships may victimise them. The definition of the word ‘bedevilled’ is ‘to torment mercilessly’ and, although it’s not for the feint-hearted, Bedevilled features an amazing cast headlined by a stunning central performance from Seo Yeong-hie (The Chaser) which is one of the most memorable in recent memory.
Hangul Celluloid described the film as:
‘A slow burning film which racks up the tension incrementally, Bedevilled builds to unleash violent, bloody retribution within a tale which is ultimately powerful, poignant and deeply moving.‘
A trailer for Bedevilled can be found and the full review from Hangul Celluloid can be found here.
The Journals of Musan (Jeon Seung-chul / 2010)
The debut feature from writer / director / star Jeon Seung-chul, The Journals of Musan is based on the experiences of his late friend Seung-chul, a North Korean defector, and his experiences of living in Seoul before his death from stomach cancer at the age of 30. Stigmatized for being from Musan (in North Korea) and struggling to remain in even an exploited position of menial employment, Seung-chul’s story is a low key drama which has been amazingly well received on the festival circuit. Besides giving a suitably subtle performance, director Jeon Seung-chul previously worked as an assistant director for Lee Chang-dong on Secret Sunshine (2007) and the tone of The Journals of Musan has been compared to Lee’s acclaimed Poetry (2010).
Sounds dreary? Culture Blues didn’t think so:
‘This surely all sounds deathly serious, and probably a bit drab. It’s not. On top of being entertaining in spite of its quiet nature and slow pace, there is a sly sense of humor that runs throughout the film. The more overt attempts at humor, as infrequent as they are, signify that Park doesn’t want this to be a joyless experience. Park, like many modern South Korean directors, is capable of finding humor in dark situations without introducing undue levity or undermining the emotional core of his film.’
A trailer for The Journals of Musan can be found and the full review from Culture Blues can be found here.
The Show Must Go On (Han Jae-rim / 2007)
An underrated gem of a movie, The Show Must Go On stars Song Kang-ho (also appearing at KOFFIA in Secret Reunion and J.S.A. – Joint Security Area) as a family man whose profession as a gangster threatens to overwhelm his domestic life. Han Jae-rim’s blacky comic gangster drama might sound similar to The Sopranos but The Show Must Go On manages to offer a fresh perspective on familiar material. Managing to both tick the boxes expected of the ‘gangster drama’ while simultaneously deconstructing it and building up to a suitably dramatic climax. The Show Must Go On won the ‘Best Picture’ award and the ‘Best Actor’ award for Song Kang-ho at the 28th Blue Dragon Film Awards, but there’s a lot to like about it – on top of a sharp script and a cast who is on great form it boasts some stunning cinematography from Park Yong-soo and a great soundtrack.
Our review of the film lavished even more praise on it:
‘By using a typically generic story but rooting it in a (fairly) realistic way, Han Jae-rim has created a gangster drama with that is genuinely moving and emotionally engaging. The central performance from Song Kang-ho is up there with his best – and this is a man who already has more than a couple of exceptional performances to his name.‘
A trailer for The Show Must Go On can be found and the full review from New Korean Cinema can be found here.
Bunt (Park Gyoo-tae / 2007)
Following his scriptwriting duties on the smash Hi Dharma! (Park Cheol-kwan / 2011) Park Gyoo-tae debut as a feature director - Bunt - is a feel-good family film, a genre which is still relatively sparse in Korean cinema. Based on a novel by Wang Shu-fen, Bunt is the story of an eleven year old boy with a low IQ who loves to go to school and perform the duties of a waterboy, providing his classmates with boiled water. Oblivious to the ridicule directed towards him, he is disappointed to find that his favourite job is taken away from him when the school purchases a new water filter. Determined to continue in his role as waterboy, he discovers that the freshmen to the junior baseball team are required to provide water for their teammates – so he becomes determined to join the team.
Darcy Paquet praised the young actor at the centre of the film in his review at KoreanFilm.org:
‘Choi Woo-hyuk, the child actor who plays Dong-gu, is especially convincing and natural in his role. Never pandering to the camera, it is his determined face – and that of his devoted father – which sticks in the memory after the closing credits are through.’
A trailer for Bunt can be found and the full review from KoreanFilm.org can be found here.
TO BE CONCLUDED!
The final part of our overview of the films showing at KOFFIA 2011 will appear shortly…
“HOLD ON TIGHT!”
For more information go to the KOIFFA 2011 website: www.koffia.com.au. Tickets are on sale 3 weeks prior to the festival dates.
The full screening schedule can be found here.
KOFFIA is organised by the Korean Cultural Office in Sydney.
