Over the last 10
years, the international cinematic landscape has witnessed a rise in growth and
popularity of Korean cinema. These movies emerging from South Korea have become
a force to be reckoned with, especially in a cinematic climate dominated by
Hollywood. These movies are extremely character-driven, have a high technical
quality, echo unique cultural sensibilities and display a distinctive narrative
style.
One such movie,
which can be considered as a microcosm for the larger trend in the Korean
cinema, is director Kwak Jae-yong’s My
Sassy Girl. Released in 2001, this movie was at the helm of Korea’s recent commercial
and critical success in the film world. If one had to fit this film into a
genre, the over-arching label of ‘romantic-comedy’ would suffice. However, such
an identification would rob the movie of its subtle complexities.
Director: Kwak
Jae-yong
Film Clip
The movie focuses
the lives of two individuals - Gyeon-woo, a student; and a girl, who remains
nameless through the film. Their unique and strange love story begins with a
series of unfortunate but humorous events. What ensues is a bizarre set of
twists and turns which may confound the viewer until the movie draws to an end.
The performances by the lead actors Cha Tae-hyun
(Gyun-woo) and Jun Ji-hyun
(The Girl) are particularly admirable. The characters are extremely likable and
well-rounded, effortlessly expressing a wide range of emotion that appears real
and relatable. The plot for the movie is borrowed from real life events,
chronicled in an internet novel by Kim Ho-sik.
Since its release, My Sassy Girl has gradually become
synonymous with Korean pop culture and has achieved cult status among
audiences. Some of the themes of the film – love, pain, loss and resolution - are
ubiquitous in all cinema, but it is how these subjects are presented that is
novel and unusual.
Ongoing comparisons
between Korean cinema and Hollywood in terms of production, content and
distribution are prevalent. Hollywood is universally heralded to be the Mecca
of all film-making. There is an automatic propensity to parallel any film
industry with the prevailing Hollywood standards. However, the themes, styles
and methods of movie making that make Korean cinema so inimitable, seem
unlikely to be compromised. This might be a welcome sign, making Korean cinema
a formidable contender against Hollywood hegemony, at least in South East Asia.
- Parinitha Shinde
No comments:
Post a Comment