Poetry (2010)
(Shi)
Country: KOR
Technical: col 139m
Director: Chang-dong Lee
Cast: Jeong-hie Yun, Da-Wit Lee, Hira Kim
Synopsis:
In a modest-sized South Korean town, a sixty-something year-old woman looks after her teenage grandson out of love and a mentally disabled man for money. As she embarks on a course in poetry composition she learns that she is developing Alzheimer's. Badly let down by the men in her life, she finds solace more and more in nature; though she struggles to write her poem, she ultimately finds it in her heart to do so.
Review:
Similar in setup to the previous year's Mother, this delicate film is much less about the crime itself than the woman's unfailing compassion. There is much that is left unsaid, certain scenes end frustratingly early, and the final poetic montage demands active interpretation on the part of the viewer. The film was Yun's comeback from retirement after fifteen years; one of Korea's institutions, she made hundreds of films in her time, and delivers an exquisite performance here.
(Shi)
Country: KOR
Technical: col 139m
Director: Chang-dong Lee
Cast: Jeong-hie Yun, Da-Wit Lee, Hira Kim
Synopsis:
In a modest-sized South Korean town, a sixty-something year-old woman looks after her teenage grandson out of love and a mentally disabled man for money. As she embarks on a course in poetry composition she learns that she is developing Alzheimer's. Badly let down by the men in her life, she finds solace more and more in nature; though she struggles to write her poem, she ultimately finds it in her heart to do so.
Review:
Similar in setup to the previous year's Mother, this delicate film is much less about the crime itself than the woman's unfailing compassion. There is much that is left unsaid, certain scenes end frustratingly early, and the final poetic montage demands active interpretation on the part of the viewer. The film was Yun's comeback from retirement after fifteen years; one of Korea's institutions, she made hundreds of films in her time, and delivers an exquisite performance here.
(Shi)
Country: KOR
Technical: col 139m
Director: Chang-dong Lee
Cast: Jeong-hie Yun, Da-Wit Lee, Hira Kim
Synopsis:
In a modest-sized South Korean town, a sixty-something year-old woman looks after her teenage grandson out of love and a mentally disabled man for money. As she embarks on a course in poetry composition she learns that she is developing Alzheimer's. Badly let down by the men in her life, she finds solace more and more in nature; though she struggles to write her poem, she ultimately finds it in her heart to do so.
Review:
Similar in setup to the previous year's Mother, this delicate film is much less about the crime itself than the woman's unfailing compassion. There is much that is left unsaid, certain scenes end frustratingly early, and the final poetic montage demands active interpretation on the part of the viewer. The film was Yun's comeback from retirement after fifteen years; one of Korea's institutions, she made hundreds of films in her time, and delivers an exquisite performance here.