Yesterday we watched a movie called "My Heart" (1999), directed by Bae Chang-ho. I recommend it whole-heartedly. Apparently the title is not a literal translation of the title in Korean, which is "Jeong". It was interesting to hear about the meaning of the word "jeong" because it requires a whole paragraph of explanation. There are many words in Korean that are so embedded with meaning there is not a single English word that matches their meanings. Anyways - "jeong" means this collective sense of togetherness, of belonging to a group, and having both a right and an obligation to step into other people's affairs. It includes love and responsibility and a sense of selfless community. If I understand correctly. I thought this was fascinating! The movie was about the life story of a woman in Korea about 100 years ago, and was beautifully done - she is depicted as resilient and thoughtful, and still a product of her historical context.
We then heard a lecture on Korean film, and the speaker gave several movie recommendations, if you're interested. I'm not sure how easy they are to get on netflicks, but I'm going to try to get them when I get home. They are:
"My Road" by the same director as "My Heart"
"Sopyonje" (1993) by director Im Kwon-taek - this is about traditional Korean singing
"King and the Clown" (2006) by director Lee Joon-Ik
"Three Iron" by director Kim Ki-duk
A Schoolgirl's Diary (this is a north Korean film and may be impossible to get in the U.S.)
All of this reminded me that I really want to see "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring".
No comments:
Post a Comment