(no subject)
film soc for the last three weeks has been the holy jackpot of korean movies. first we had Forbidden Quest, a not-so-serious historical tale of pornographic novels, betrayal and happy misogyny (the betrayal, however, for a movie that managed to work in references to bulletin boards and "don't try this at home", was surprisingly affecting). Then we had Barking Dogs Never Bite, which included the most distressingly hilarious scene involving a chihuahua i have ever seen, and also a perfect performance from bae doo na (the korean exchange student in "linda linda linda") as the aimless maintenance worker who solves the mystery of the missing pets. like all good dark slacker comedies, its scenes were strung together so artlessly it would have been easy to dismiss the thread of despair and disaffection that holds the film together, and the happy ending is ambgiuous at best.
then tonight we had the eagerly awaited (by thirstygirl and me, at least) King and the Clown. for some reason this film really got me. it might have been lee jun ki's understatedly raw performance. it might have been the operatic nature (simple, emotionally powerful, archetypal) of the narrative. it might have been the way the powerfully clever nature of jang sang is shown only when he's performing. it might have been the film's love song to performance, to its subversive possibilities and the pure bright fun of it, whether you're backflipping to awe the yokels or playing with finger puppets with an unstable, heartbreakingly and alarmingly broken king. it's by no means a perfect film, but it's slammed into my head and it'll be a while before it leaves.
then tonight we had the eagerly awaited (by thirstygirl and me, at least) King and the Clown. for some reason this film really got me. it might have been lee jun ki's understatedly raw performance. it might have been the operatic nature (simple, emotionally powerful, archetypal) of the narrative. it might have been the way the powerfully clever nature of jang sang is shown only when he's performing. it might have been the film's love song to performance, to its subversive possibilities and the pure bright fun of it, whether you're backflipping to awe the yokels or playing with finger puppets with an unstable, heartbreakingly and alarmingly broken king. it's by no means a perfect film, but it's slammed into my head and it'll be a while before it leaves.