The first film I saw was Han Gong-ju, an indie film that gained a lot of popularity in Korea after it premiered at BIFF last year. The film is a retelling of a famous gang rape case that happened in Korea in 2004. When I say "retelling" I would hasten to say that, from information gleaned, this movie was made in the same vein as an episode of Law and Order: SVU. In other words, this is a story "ripped from the headlines" but not a strict retelling. It was an extremely violent film, and I would not recommend it for younger audiences, but the movie just had so much depth to it that I think it should almost be required to watch for those who want to understand Korean culture better. Women in Korea face an uphill battle and this film was a very visual representation of just how difficult that battle is. Korea has one of the lowest gender equality rankings in the world, ranking 111th out of 136 countries analyzed by the World Economic Forum. Additionally, Korea's legal system is woefully behind the rest of the developed world in providing equality for women. The movie also gave you the feeling that those laws that are down on the books are not exactly being followed. This movie then, was like seeing everything culminate into the "perfect storm" of gender inequality. Again and again and again the protagonist (Gong-ju) is let down by every male around her, police officer, friend, and father alike. There is not a single male character that does not at one point or another let her down. And many of the women are not much better, the culture being so pervasive that in the end, no one is there for Gong--ju but herself. The film itself was very beautifully done and the cinematography was stunning. I am still processing how I feel about this movie and the message it sends. I left this movie feeling so resigned to acknowledging that that was an accurate portrayal of the barriers women here face, but I also left hopeful that things are changing for the better. I hope that being a part of WYLD I will be able to make at least a very small difference in changing things.
This past weekend I attended the 15th Annual Jeju Women's Film Festival. I was only able to attend on Saturday, but I wish that I had been able to attend more of the festival. Both of the films I saw were really moving and gave me a better understanding of Korea. I would recommend this film festival to both Korean and foreigner, man or woman. The staff was very friendly and helpful and all of the films on the schedule looked really interesting. Plus the films had English subtitles, which makes a huge difference when your Korean is elementary. The first film I saw was Han Gong-ju, an indie film that gained a lot of popularity in Korea after it premiered at BIFF last year. The film is a retelling of a famous gang rape case that happened in Korea in 2004. When I say "retelling" I would hasten to say that, from information gleaned, this movie was made in the same vein as an episode of Law and Order: SVU. In other words, this is a story "ripped from the headlines" but not a strict retelling. It was an extremely violent film, and I would not recommend it for younger audiences, but the movie just had so much depth to it that I think it should almost be required to watch for those who want to understand Korean culture better. Women in Korea face an uphill battle and this film was a very visual representation of just how difficult that battle is. Korea has one of the lowest gender equality rankings in the world, ranking 111th out of 136 countries analyzed by the World Economic Forum. Additionally, Korea's legal system is woefully behind the rest of the developed world in providing equality for women. The movie also gave you the feeling that those laws that are down on the books are not exactly being followed. This movie then, was like seeing everything culminate into the "perfect storm" of gender inequality. Again and again and again the protagonist (Gong-ju) is let down by every male around her, police officer, friend, and father alike. There is not a single male character that does not at one point or another let her down. And many of the women are not much better, the culture being so pervasive that in the end, no one is there for Gong--ju but herself. The film itself was very beautifully done and the cinematography was stunning. I am still processing how I feel about this movie and the message it sends. I left this movie feeling so resigned to acknowledging that that was an accurate portrayal of the barriers women here face, but I also left hopeful that things are changing for the better. I hope that being a part of WYLD I will be able to make at least a very small difference in changing things. The second film I saw was undoubtedly a lighter film than the first. It was titled Spirits: The story of Jeju Island's Shamanistic Shrines. The film was made by a foreigner who has lived on Jeju for considerable amount of time and after getting interested in jeju's unique take on Shamanism, he decided to make a documentary about it. I have lived on Jeju for a very short two months and so seeing this film was like discovering another layer to the Island that I never new existed. I learned so much about Shamanism and how it is practiced here on Jeju. I will be on the lookout from now on for Shamanistic shrines as I travel around Jeju. The film also profiled some of the Shamans of Jeju. I was surprised to find out that most of the Shaman were women. I was also surprised to learn about the close relationship that the Henyeo (female divers) share with Shamanism. Due to technical difficulties the movie was not played in full, but I would recommend anyone interested in Jeju, or Shamanism to see this film. After the film was over there was a question and answer session with the director and and one of the Shaman's highlighted in the film Kim Dol San. Overall, I had a wonderful time at the 15th Annual Jeju Women's Film Festival and I hope I have the opportunity to attend the 16th Annual!
1 Comment
David
10/19/2014 01:48:10 pm
enjoyed your reviews. your example will help change image of women in Korea.
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Author안녕! I'm Emmy and this is my blog detailing my life in Korea with Fulbright mainly through pictures. Feel free to contact me on my about page. TTFN Archives
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