SPRING IN MY HOMETOWN |
| CREDITS: Director: Kwangmo Lee. Cast: Sung Ki Ahn, Ok Sook Song, Yu Chung Bae, In Lee,
Jung Woo Kim, O Seong Yu, Soon Mi Myung. Korea 1998. INTRODUCTION: Undeservedly panned at the Edinburgh Film Festival this lyrical slice of life from war-torn 50's Korea may, admittedly, not be to everyone's taste. SYNOPSIS: Following the fortunes of two families through the war years 1952-53 the story is told through the eyes of the families sons Sung Min & Chang Hee, who spend their days chasing US Army Jeeps and spying on the GI's meetings with local prostitutes. Hee's father is accused of communist sympathies and detained by the authorities, while Min's father gets a job at the US Army Base nearby driving a wedge between the families that leads to disaster. REVIEW: Lee, a film lecturer at Chung An University, makes an impressive directorial debut with this emotive film. The critics however were unimpressed due in no small part to the somewhat laid back pace. Slow to the point that at times it seems unworthy of the epithet 'motion' picture, the film will doubtless not suit the MTV generation used to the sharp cuts and fast moving action of "Godzilla" and "Armageddon". The film none the less has much to offer the more patient members of the audience. The languid style allows us time to get to know the leads, superbly portrayed by the young duo, and gives us a taster of their lives. Lee shows us the effects of war at a community level, with each act introduced by an entry from Min's diary and an official communiqu‚ indicating the current state of the conflict, creating a truly unique perspective. Throughout the long and distinguished history of the war movie few have considered the effects of the conflict on the population upon whom the battlefield happens to infringe, and Lee's attempt to redress this balance is if nothing else a worthy venture. Beautiful scenery, moving characterisations and a truly tragic tale, let the tears flow. Mutt's Rating: **** |