Lee Chang-dong's POETRY

Yet another film that I look forward to seeing, hopefully sooner rather than later, is Lee Chang-dong's Poetry. Published with In Review Online's "You Can't Stop Wat's Coming - Most Anticipated Films of 2010," here's why:

The renaissance in South Korean film over the past 15 years has jettisoned the likes of Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Kim Ki-duk and even Hong Sang-so onto the international stage. Meanwhile, somewhat behind the scenes, Lee Chang-dong has quietly been honing his craft of dramatic realism through socio-political commentary—Green Fish (1997) and Peppermint Candy (2000)—and more recently with subtle acts of melodrama—Oasis (2007) and Secret Sunshine (2007). Lee’s penchant for outcasts is only matched by his understanding of the cruel and mysterious world that molds these ordinary people into misconstrued personae non gratae. Secret Sunshine is a character driven tour de force that rested heavily on the shoulders of lead actors Song Kang-ho and Jeon Do-yeon (who won Best Actress at Cannes) that flew well under the radar, especially in the US where it remains undistributed. This year’s Poetry, about an aging woman who turns to art in order to come to grips with her own mortality, seems like anything but a slide for Lee. Already picked up by Kino for the US, Poetry won Best Screenplay at Cannes in what some call a consolation prize for not getting the Palme d’Or it deserved.

Check out the trailer for Poetry here on Wildgrounds.