Top films of 2008: Lists from across the Pacific

Top ten lists are a dime-a-dozen. More than anything, these lists are defined by what the list-maker sees, and what a list-maker sees is defined by where they live. Being an Asian film fan in the Twin Cities isn't terrible, but it is far from spectacular. Needless to say, the lists made by people who have far more access to these films are an invaluable resource. Here are some of the lists that have emerged in the past month that make me envious but also very excited:

Darcy Paquet's top ten Korean films of 2008
(The list is on the site updates page. Scroll down to 2009.01.18) Darcy runs Koreanfilm.org and has his hands in just about anything English language oriented on Korean Film. His knowledge about Korean film is indispensable.

• Top of the list: The Chaser directed by Na Hong-jin
• Number of films I have seen on the list: zed.

Wise Kwai's top ten Thai films of 2008
Wise Kwai is a very busy blogger in Bangkok. Everything and anything on Thai film is here. Wise Kwai's list redeems my choice of Syndromes and a Century, which by IMDB standards is not a 2008 film.

• Top of the list: Syndromes and a Century: Thailand Edition directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
• Number of films I have seen on the list: two.

Midnight Eye's huge 2008 roundup
Not just one list, but eight lists from eight individuals. It's a fantastic (and overwhelming) roundup that I will revisit again and again.

• Tops of the lists: Tokyo Sonata directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, United Red Army directed by Koji Wakamatsu, Departures directed by Yojiro Takita, All Around Us directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi, and more!
• Number of new Japanese films I have seen noted in the lists: five.

Webs of Significance's top ten 2008 Hong Kong movies
Long time film fan, YTSL doesn't just cover film on her Webs of Significance blog, but all things Hong Kong. With photos of food and fauna, Webs is a great blog to visit for anyone who loves Hong Kong (like me!)

• Top of the list: The Way We Are directed by Ann Hui
• Number of films I have seen on the list: zero.

A Nutshell Review's top 10 of 2008
I love how A Nutshell Review's tag is "Probably Singapore's #1 Movie Review Blog." It's not probably and you get much more than a nutshell. Although Nutshell presents a top ten of all films, not just Singapore films, that includes many US favorites such as The Dark Knight and Wall-E, it also includes an eclectic mix of what is available in Singapore. (Nutshell's blog also reveals that eclecticism.)

• Top (non-Western film) of the list: 18 Grams of Love directed by Han Yew Kwang
• Number of films I have seen on the list: three (but none of the ones that count...)

The Golden Rock's best Panasian movies viewed in 2008
This is a list within "The 1st Annual Golden Rock Awards" that includes the best of Hong Kong music, best trends in Asian pop culture, best discovery and so on. A very worthwhile read. The list is in no particular order, and I'm not about to guess which is the tops.

• Number of films I have seen on the list: one.

Yu Hyun-mok's STRAY BULLET

Enough about 2008 already. Now let's move on to 1960...

My idea of a classic Korean film might be something from the mid-90s. As a matter of fact, I think the two 'oldest' Korean films I have seen are 301/302 and A Single Spark, both from 1995 (unless you count the classic North Korean kaiju film Pulgasari from 1985.) Pleasantly distracted by the offerings of Contemporary Korean film, I have rarely given a thought to the history of Korean cinema. It goes without saying that classic Korean cinema doesn't have nearly the recognition of classic Japanese cinema. Part of the problem is distribution, with few pre-1990s Korean films making it across the Pacific. The bigger problem may be that 35% of Korean films made since 1910 are simply gone: products of a fragile medium and a tumultuous century.

Under these circumstances, I was surprised to see Yu Hyun-mok's Stray Bullet (more commonly known as Aimless Bullet or simply by its Korean name Obaltan) out on DVD in the US. It's been out for some time on the Cinema Epoch label that is also responsible for the Chinese Film Classics series. Considered one of the best Korean films ever made, Stray Bullet is a relentless melodrama that owes a large debt to Italian Neorealism. Its examination of social strife is so resolute that reports of it being banned at the time come at no surprise.

Stray Bullet takes place in urban South Korea shortly after the end of the Korean War. The economy and society are reeling from the effects of a very physical yet also a highly ideological struggle. At the heart of the film is one seven-member family desperately living from day to day. Each member represent a different perspective on what can only be called the worst of times.

Chul Ho is the oldest brother in the family and the only bread winner. He works long tireless hours as an accountant for a salary that barely sustains everyone. His misery is only heightened by the fact that he lives with a painful toothache he can't afford to fix. His young daughter is painfully hopeful that she will get a new pair of shoes, and his wife is malnourished and pregnant. She diligently collects her husbands earnings, but barely says a word throughout the entire film. It seems less a case of subservience, than simply 'if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all.' Chul Ho's brother, Yong Ho, is a war veteran. He spends most of his time drinking with his army buddies and being nostalgic about their time as heroes. Chul Ho and Yong Ho also have a young brother who has given up his education to sell newspapers on the street. Their sister, Myong Sook, is more pragmatic about the situation. Her boyfriend has been emasculated by a war injury and refuses to marry. Giving up hope on ever having a family, she turns to prostitution to support herself. Lastly, there is the matriarch, Chul Ho's mother. Bedridden, she wakes every ten minutes or so to wail, "Let's get out of here! Let's get out of here!" and then falls back into a catatonic state. She is the symbolic cornerstone of the film and an ominous reminder of what the family has already been through.

The set up does not paint a very pretty picture, and it hardly gets any better. Most of the film focuses on Yong Ho's psychological struggle to find a place in society after the war. When a friend sets up an opportunity for him to act in a movie, Yong Ho becomes furious at the director's intentions to trivialize and exploit his experience as a war veteran. In a rare moment of lightheartedness, Yong Ho runs into a nurse who treated him during the war. Their bond seems to open the door to some sort of hope for happiness only to be slammed shut again.

Stray Bullet is a harsh social critique, and is revered because of it. Unfortunately, the print the DVD was taken from is not the best. It's a black and white film, and in cases of extreme darkness the image is reduced to mud. The opposite is also true, where the brightest images simply get washed out. This is all to be expected. Much like Epoch's Chinese Film Classic DVDs, without the funding to restore the films, I'm simply glad that something exists. It states at the beginning of the DVD that it is taken from a festival print that was recovered. The subtitles were burnt into the print, but there are also selectable subtitles in yellow that are probably a little easier to read.

Facts come from Darcy Paquet's research here and here. Also find a robust amount of information on the Korean Film Councils website here.