Jaihong Juhn- Poongsan (2011)

Ovaj lanjski film, napravljen prema scenariju Kim Ki-duka, već se može u cijelosti vidjeti na YouTubeu. Ohoho.

Cijel ifilm:

  

 

THE STUNNING LYRICISM OF AN ORDINARY MAN
By Marybel Gervais
Translated into English by Adam Abouaccar
——————
Life is rich in emotional experiences and each person goes about it in one’s own way, deciding whether or not to make use of the opportunities that cross one’s path. This is the very essence of every story renowned South Korean writer/director Kim Ki-duk has put to film. He does not limit himself to improbable walks of life, but attempts to analyse human feelings through avenues more representative of his own reality. Korea’s divided states make for a unique national identity almost incomprehensible to non-residents. Kim Ki-duk imbues his latest script for Juhn Jaihong’s Poongsan with his usual lyrical touches and conveys real emotions as only an artist who has mastered his craft can.
Inside this society torn by Korea’s division, families live separately on either side of the most heavily guarded border in the world. Nothing and nobody is supposed to get in or out. One man, blessed with amazing survival skills, decides to put his skills to use. In exchange for money, he delivers messages or personal packages across the border. To keep out of trouble, he conducts all of his transactions in silence. No one knows his name, but certain locals have given him the name “Poongsan” after the brand of his cigarettes he smokes (“Poongsan” also refers to a rare hunting dog breed specific to North Korea). At the special request of a man protected by the authorities of South Korea, Poongsan agrees to bring over In-ok, the man’s wife. Separated for two years since his escape to more forgiving terrain, the man has not stopped thinking about his beloved or the bitter fate that awaits her north of the 38^th parallel. In three hours, Poongsan manages to bring In-ok safely to her husband despite a few setbacks. Yet, in their short time together, the two fugitives fall in love, much to the dismay of In-ok’s husband. Despite the fact that Poongsan was under contract with the government on his mission to bring In-ok back, he is blacklisted on his return for conducting trades across the forbidden zone as punishment.
To understand what’s at stake in this story, it is absolutely imperative to understand the immeasurable crisis that has divided Korea for more than 60 years. Though it may be dubbed “the land of the morning calm,” a soundtrack of resonant shouting, gunshots and explosions always greets the sunrise. The views of both sides’ leaders radically differed (and still do). In the North, we find the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Upholding a communist approach within a totalitarian regime, they maintain political, economic and military independence while making up a third of Korea’s total population. South of the border, we find what’s commonly referred to as the “demilitarized zone” (DMZ). The remaining two thirds of Korea’s inhabitants live in the Republic of Korea, a place relatively open to Western culture with a democratic regime geared toward capitalism.
After their formal separation in the late 1940s and the War of 1950-1953 that followed, several families are forced to live separated from their loved ones, a terrible blow to many. Furthermore, the lives of northerners are difficult as they live for the most part in poverty. Little can be done about their situation. This is not the case in the South where education is still accessible and general conditions are better. The characters created by Kim Ki-duk in Poongsan are representative of this harsh reality and focus is never put on divulging how the main character acquired his unique skills. His past also remains unaddressed. As a whole, citizens of the north demonstrate an astonishing adaptability and capacity to survive, due in no small part to the newfound aridity of life in North Korea. Lack of money pushes one to resort to one’s strengths without excess. In-ok’s difficulty to forget her old life and to enjoy luxury and attention from her husband is a demonstration of a different sort. Together with the main character’s own story, we observe through his missions other examples of Korea’s social reality. An example of this is an old man on his deathbed who cannot believe that he can see his wife via video before he dies. An explosively poignant moment.
This story could have been written only by a Korean who lived this particular reality. In 1960, Kim Ki-duk was born into a country where the confrontations were already in full swing. He was fortunate to be born in the south where he had access to greater opportunities. Taking full advantage of his fortune, he tried his hand at many different careers, going from farming to the military, to a brief stint in the priesthood before becoming a painter and filmmaker.
His passions and wide range of experiences deeply enrich his scripts. Gracefully, he produces profound emotions in the viewer, aided by images without dialogue. His characters are precious to us not because they represent an ideal we would like to reach in vain, but because they are genuine, touching and unconventional. The mystery revolving around the Poongsan character’s history resembles that of Hee-jin in Kim’s earlier Seom (The Isle, 2000); Kim characterizes both characters with a heavy silence, creating an air about both characters that is all their own. His cinematic universe always involves a love story as a catalyst. It is never black and white and allows the viewer to question moral and social principles. Kim frequently touches upon taboo subjects such as adultery, prostitution (Samaria, 2004) and even incest (Hwal, 2005), but despite the compromising situations in which the protagonists find themselves, they exude sincerity and only instil a sense of fraternal understanding in the viewer. Poongsan recalls Kim’s 2004 film 3-Iron with respect to its dark themes, however pure. Both films’ main characters, in their rare reliance on verbal commentary, commendable lines of work and complex histories with love, seem cut from the same cloth.
The auteur’s signature refines and redefines itself with each particular work he or she produces. Kim Ki-duk always walks the same path, set for a destination that is invisible to the rest of us. He has a formula that pleases him and excites his viewers here in the West. Sadly, he is not as revered in his native country of South Korea. As the saying goes: “No man is a prophet in his own country.” Conversely, it is perhaps because we are Westerners that we are allowed to cherish Kim Ki-duk’s work as much as we do.


Plot
A mysterious man nicknamed "Poongsan" (Yoon Kye-Sang) crosses between the South and North Korean border as a courier for hire. There's no way for people to contact him, but instead, Poongsan picks out potential clients from banners at a make shift memorial along the DMZ. Poongsan's next target is a man who wishes to bring a North Korean woman into South Korea.
Meanwhile, a man (Kim Jong-Soo) is pushed by the section chief (Han Ki-Joong) at the NIS to write a report on North Korea. That man was a high ranking official in North Korea prior to defecting to South Korea. He's protected by NIS agents, but still paranoid that North Korean assassins will kill him. He asks the section chief at the NIS to bring his lover In-Ok (Kim Gyu-Ri) to him from North Korea. Agents from the NIS learn of a man able to smuggle people across the border. They place a banner along a makeshift memorial at the DMZ border.
During the middle of the night, two NIS agents meet Poongsan who arrives on a motorcycle. When an NIS agent asks how long it will take to bring In-Ok into South Korea, Poongsan points to his watch to show 3 hours. The agent gives an incredulous laugh, but gets back into his car and waits for Poongsan. Poongsan runs off into the night towards the DMZ border.
Poongsan heads out to Pyeongyang to retrieve In-Ok. While they are crossing the border back into South Korea, In-Ok feels an attachment to this mysterious man who doesn't speak ...




 

Last night after I received a phone call that "Poongsan" had gone over the breaking point and that we could pay our staff and the audience kept coming in, I cried. I can't believe this low-budget film written by me is making profit in the Korean theaters. Of course this is all thanks to those staff and producers who worked hard but still I can't believe this is happening to Kim Ki-duk films.
I appreciate the thought of everyone listening to me. I pray that the number of cinemas don't decrease so that those who want to see "Poongsan" can watch it whenever they like among the Hollywood movies that are coming soon. I am also more than happy to say that I can pay the staff and actors who trusted me and worked hard.
Personally it is a miracle for me to know that my low-budget movie "Poongsan" is proudly being viewed in more than 200 cinemas and I hope this becomes a model for future low-budget films.
There was nothing but a scenario written in a countryside cottage. Without an office, 10 of us used director Juhn Jai-hong's 5 pyeong (~15M3~150Sq Ft) room as an office which he couldn't even afford to pay the rent for. We used all the money from a corporate account, personal account and even the rusty foreign coins that were in the drawers. We didn't have enough assets to carry on with post production so we sent everyone off to another movie site and the two of us starved ourselves to complete it. We even spread word that we will sell 10% of the "Poongsan" company share but we had no luck. We even thought of running away if the movie didn't succeed.
I would like to thank our distributor NEW, Dongah Broadcasting University which supported us with the set, Nikkon that provided us with the cameras and the music director who gave us music even without a share. There will be many who felt pain, impression and even anger at this movie.
Last Saturday was the 61st anniversary of the 6.25 war. As much as we care for 6.25, there will be a difference in understanding "Poongsan" and there might be some scenes that are quite disappointing due to the lack of assets.
Therefore I thank everyone who spend their money and time to watch the movie.
I will work hard to make better movies in the future.
From Kim Ki-duk,
2011 June 27th

London Korean Film Festival Review: Poongsan (2011)

James Mudge

Although directed by Jeon Jae Hong, helmer of the superb and criminally under seen “Beautiful”, whether fairly or not, “Poongsan” will probably be pushed as and seen by many as a Kim Ki Duk film. Having written the script and acting as producer, Kim certainly has his fingerprints all over his protégé’s film, bringing to the table his usual brand of grim drama, cynicism and poetic pain. Offering another take on the effects of the North-South Korean divide, the film stars upcoming actor Yoon Kye Sang (“Lovers of Six Years”, “The Greatest Love”) as a cross-border smuggler, with Kim Gyu Ri (“Portrait of a Beauty”) as his latest package. The film also features Kim Jong Soo (recently in “Sins of Fathers”) amongst its cast, with Japanese star Odagirie Joe following up his role in Kim’s “Dream” with a brief appearance as a North Korean soldier.
Yoon Kye Sang plays the titular Poongsan, a silent man nicknamed after the brand of North Korean cigarettes that he smokes, who acts as a courier for people separated by the North-South divide, contactable only through memorial messages left on the fence marking the DMZ between the two countries. After his skills bring him to the attention of the South Korean National Intelligence Service, he is given the dangerous task of bringing across Ok (Kim Gyu Ri), the lover of a high profile North Korean defector (Kim Jong Soo). En route, she starts to develop feelings for Poongsan, and when her arrival in the South doesn’t result in the planned happy reunion, tension and violence soon ensue.

As with Jeon Jae Hong’s debut “Beautiful”, and Jang Hoon’s “Rough Cut”, the shadow of Kim Ki Duk certainly looms large over “Poongsan”. This isn’t a bad thing by any means, and Kim has of late shown that he works very well in the writer producer role, using the talents of his protégés to turn out films which are true to his themes, but far more commercial and accessible affairs. That’s definitely the case here, as whilst “Poongsan” shows Kim’s trademark distrust of authority, search for identity and emotional violence, it’s markedly less abstract than his own recent outings, coming across almost like a politically charged version of Kim Jee Woon’s “A Bittersweet Life”, sharing the same silent, ambiguous protagonist and the same kind of tragically inclined melodrama. The film’s plot is a mixture of different elements, throwing together drama, romance, action and symbolic intrigue into an interesting and engaging whole that thankfully sees Kim’s script largely holding back on ever getting too heavy and meaningful. Although things do get a little exhausting with all its bouncing back and forwards across the border, there are some very effective twists and betrayals along the way, and the packs a great deal into its running time.
The whole concept of having Poongsan as a speechless, stoic type fits well with the overall themes, with Yoon Kye Sang putting in a powerful and expressive performance, managing to convey a real sense of confusion and tormented humanity, as well as an all important good heart. His relationship with Ok is reasonably affecting and moving, and Kim Gyu Ri is solid in what could have been the kind of thankless female role often seen in Kim Ki Duk films, despite a few awkward scenes of rather jarringly pseudo-poetic dialogue. The rest of the characters are all more interesting and fleshed out than usual, and though the security forces on both sides are mainly faceless brutal villains and lapdogs, Kim Jong Soo is great as the tortured defector, a lost, impotent and pitiable man without a country and consumed by a growing sense of anger.

Visually, Jeon Jae Hong is very much his own director, and the film enjoys an impressive modern noir look, with some beautiful use of light and shadow that perfectly brings to life the half-world in which Poongsan exists. At the same time, there is a definite gritty feel to the proceedings, and Jeon shows a willingness to really drag his characters through the mud and dirt. This edge is furthered by a respectable amount of violence sprinkled throughout, including some fairly rough torture scenes and bloody beatings, and this helps to keep things moving, as do a handful of chase scenes and set pieces.
It’s these, along with the emotional core which really set “Poongsan” apart from most of Kim Ki Duk’s own outings, and which allow Jeon Jae Hong to carve his film out an identity of its own. The film is certainly one of the best and most searching to take on the weighty issue of the North-South divide of late, and is both gripping and thoughtful, with a human side and a few glimpses of hope that balances well with some of its more pessimistic aspects.