Beauty in an Un-beautiful World

When I watched Poetry for the first time, I was not aware who directed it or what it was about. But for the whole 139 minutes of the movie, I was completely absorbed into the story. And even now, I am haunted by this spectacular film.

Poetry, as it turns out, is the latest offering of director Lee Chang-dong, known for such films as Secret Sunshine, Peppermint Candy and Oasis. It's the story of Mi-ja, an elderly woman who works as a caretaker of a stroke patient (other than living off government subsidies.) She takes care of her divorced daughter's son, who is distant towards his grandmother. In the meantime, she begins to have some episodes of absent-mindedness and decides to go to a poetry class to exercise her mind and be able to write just one poem. However, an unexpected tragedy (or rather a series of them) devastates this poor woman's world.

Without spoiling the film for you, Poetry is itself like a poem; Mi-ja's poem notes divide the film into chapters and stanzas, making the film flow along. As is flows, you are engrossed by the story and wonder how Lee can finish such a film. And it is in the closing sequence that the film consolidates its emotional power, a meld of visuals and poetry between Mi-ja and another character, signifying the bond that they now share (despite them not even knowing each other.)

Beauty is one of the main concepts in the film. In this context, Mi-ja sees poetry and making poetry as the search of the embodiment of beauty, but at the same time, in this film, beauty is something we do not see. The emotional violence and turmoil is mostly implied; and it may be lost to audiences not paying attention. In addition, this notion of holding on to a concept of beauty in a world that threatens not to have any reflects upon Mi-ja herself. She struggles in this film against the darkness of the world around her, a situation not unlike that of Secret Sunshine's protagonist, but she deals with this darkness in a different way.

Yoon Jeong-hee portrays Mi-ja and it is quite spellbinding. She is a veteran of Korean film, acting in numerous films in the sixties and seventies. Her last movie role was sixteen years ago, and despite the intervening time, she shines in this film.

This film went on to win best screenplay at the Cannes film festival and did well at the Box Office. At once a celebration and study of life, death and the human reaction to such things, it is evidence that Korean film may not be as prominent as it was the last decade, but it's still there, alive and kicking.