Film: Poetry
Cast includes: Jeong-hie Yun (Two Flags), Da-wit Lee, Nae-sang Ahn (Marathon)
Writer/Director: Chang-dong Lee (Secret Sunshine)
Genre: Drama (2010)
In brief: The body floating in the river is that of Heeji, a 16-year-old high school student. It was suicide. It happened on the same day Mija has a doctor’s appointment at the local clinic. Mija’s arm feels prickly. When the doctor asks for more detail, Mija searches for the words. The doctor finds Mija’s inability to remember common words more troubling than the prickly feeling in her arm and recommends a visit to a specialist in Seoul. When Mija comes out of the clinic, she is struck by the tragic scene of Heeji’s mother whaling in grief and grasping for the body of her dead daughter. Mija wonders if her grandson, Wook, knew the dead girl and asks when the boy gets home. “I don’t know everyone in my high school class,” he declares in his usual dismissive manor.
Mija doesn’t seem to resent her hard life, but she does wants to do something for herself. That’s probably why she enrolls in a poetry class at the community center. And when the teacher tells students to really look at things around them, Mija takes this instruction to heart. In general, Mija is a cheerful sort of person. The grumpy, old invalid she takes care of is always barking at her because she “chirps like a skylark.” Her disrespectful grandson and his unpleasant friends treat her like a servant. But inspired by her teacher’s lessons, Mija is determined to see the beauty in life. It’s the call from the father of one of Wook’s friends that leads to the biggest challenge Mija will have to face.
This is a film that can’t be appreciated unless you’re willing to suspend your western point of view. At the center of the story is the relationship between Mija and her grandson. We would expect an American grandmother to take her grandson to task for his bad behavior. Instead, she is expected to find a way to protect him. Getting a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in the middle of the story only adds to the hardships facing Mija. But no matter how unjust… no matter how difficult… Mija takes her responsibilities seriously. The problem is that she is finally faced with a situation she just doesn’t have the resources to grapple with. Although the pace of this film is slow and deliberate, the plot is tight and suspenseful… with every detail eventually contributing to the story line. Struggling to write the poem she’s supposed to write, she asks her teacher, “When does inspiration come?” But there are never easy answers.
4 popped kernels
A heart-felt dilemma… beautifully told
Popcorn Profile
Primary Audience: Grown-ups
Gender Appeal: Any audience
Distribution: Art house
Mood: Somber
Tempo: In no hurry
Visual Style: Unvarnished realism
Character Development: Engaging
Language: Korean
Social Significance: Thought provoking
