Saturday, April 23, 2011

Poetry (2010)

Poetry / Shi (2010)
Poetry / Shi / 시 (2010)

Genre: Drama
Director: Lee Chang-dong
Starring: Yoon Jeong-hee
Duration: 139 min.
Rating: 7.5/10

Summary:
A sixty-something woman, faced with the discovery of a heinous family crime and in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, finds strength and purpose when she enrolls in a poetry class.


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Poetry directed by Lee Chang-dong, appeared in competition at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Screenplay.  It is a poignant story about a woman on the verge of Alzheimer's who also faces a string of moral dilemmas, starring Yoon Jeong-hee, an actress famous for her roles in late 60's and early 70's South Korean cinema, in her first role since 1994.

With a beautiful and subtle style, Lee expertly develops the story in a way that feels realistic, and though the subject is depressing, it is done in a way that highlights the joyful and sometimes humorous moments of life, while never falling into the expected melodramatic cliches.  This was the first film I have seen from Lee Chang-dong, and I was quite impressed.  I will definitely have to seek out his previous work.

Poetry / Shi (2010)

Poetry / Shi (2010)

Poetry / Shi (2010)

Poetry / Shi (2010)

Poetry / Shi (2010)

Poetry / Shi (2010)

Poetry / Shi (2010)

Poetry / Shi (2010)

4 comments:

The Angry Lurker said...

Sounds like a tearjerker.

The Angry Vegetarian said...

Looks very sad. Reminds me of my old art teacher in college, also a very sad story. I love sad movies, I will enjoy this.

Hermann Rorschach said...

Heinous family crime? Any chance of a spoiler here?

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Hmm. The old woman lives with her grandson whom she raised, and after the suicide of one of his female classmates, he and his friends' involvement are revealed when the girl's mother finds her diary.

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