Lee Chang-dong

Secret Sunshine

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Shin-ae, son Jun and Jong-chan

At the beginning of 2007ā€™s Secret Sunshine we meet a young mum whose husband has recently died. During the course of the film bad luck strikes again, or as the IMDb coyly (and rightly so) puts it, ā€œanother tragic event overturns her lifeā€. And the woman loses her mind. What fun, you might think, a woman in a tight corner having more crap dumped on her. And yet. There is a lot to see and digest in Lee Chang-dongā€™s 2007 drama (which also goes by the name Miryang or even Milyang ā€“ a transliteration difference of opinion) and two brilliant performances at the centre of it. One is by Jeon Do-yeon, as Lee … Read more

Peppermint Candy

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Kim on the railway track

What makes a person commit suicide ā€“ is it bad genes, bad luck or a bad attitude? Peppermint Candy doesnā€™t answer the question but it has a good hard look at it. One man, an extreme case when we meet him, angry, disoriented, drugged-up maybe, crashing a 20-year school reunion in the town where he grew up. The other members of the group try to calm him down but this oneā€™s not for placating and, after disruping the party with his aggressive manner, Kim Yong-ho has soon climbed onto the elevated railway line nearby. And soon after that heā€™s dead, having disappeared under the front of an oncoming locomotive while screaming ā€œIā€™m going … Read more