Do-seop (her son's murderer) reveals that he too has found god and feels absolved for his crimes. I decided to write about this in part because it fits very well in the theme of the month and also because the Korean film industry is still somewhat overlooked despite the fact that (in my opinion) it's producing better films than any other country in the world right now. Her Christian friends are almost entirely unwilling to help or sympathize and the pastor of her church actually blames her for being too weak to forgive Do-seop. On the journey home she walks past the clothes shop of a woman someone she has gradually struck up a friendship with to whom she had given unwanted decorating advice earlier in the film. Get info about new releases, sales, and our online publication, Current. After Jun's death, Shin-ae is a completely different person. Secret Sunshine is the fourth film made by Lee Chang-dong, inarguably one of the most significant directors to emerge in world cinema over the last 20 years. The turning point in Secret Sunshine comes when Jun, Shin-ae's son, is kidnapped and killed. Flamboyant, indulgent, and just a bit socially inappropriate, this outburst is Shin-aes perfectly useless revengeand its a mark of Jeons brilliance that we can tell shes having fun with it. "[11] With 6 reviews, it scored 84 on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim. Secret Sunshine | movie | 2007 | Official Trailer. Kill Boksoon (2023) - Kill Bok-Soon ; Emergency Declaration | Bisangsuneon (2022) - Sook-Hee ; Beasts Clawing At Straws | Jipuragirado Jabgo Sipeun Jimseungdeul (2020) - Yeon-Hee It will return to this image of the sky several more times, with ever more complex associations and questioning motivations, initiating an almost literary pattern of repetition and variation. She seems to find some peace and even grace in Christianity, giving herself up to the abstract wisdom and unknowable motivations of god. When Jong-chan takes her brother to the railroad depot, he tells him that he's not Sin-ae's type. A woman moves to the town where her dead husband was born. After losing her husband, Shin Ae, a single mother, relocates to her husband's hometown Miryang ("Secret Sunshine") for a new start. After her car breaks down, Kim Jong-chan (Song Kang-ho) comes to her rescue. Secret Sunshine (2007) Secret Sunshine (2007) 7.5 6,067 Trailer Sin-ae moves with her son Jun to Miryang, the town where her dead husband was born. Now she has to reconcile with another massive loss in her life, that of God. Secret Sunshine is the fourth film made by Lee Chang-dong, inarguably one of the most significant directors to emerge in world cinema over the last 20 years. He runs a local garage and is a very friendly fellow. Korean director Chang-dong Lee, whose recent film Poetry made some film festival waves has a really interesting entry into the kidnapping genre. That sort of intense emotional pain stays with you for your entire life no matter what you believe. As she tries to fit in, another tragic event overturns her life. Once she arrives with her young son, Jun, in Miryang (which translates roughly to the "secret sunshine" of the title, a mysterious phrase that wonderfully embodies the elusiveness and the ultimate privacy of true joy), Shin-ae sets up her own piano-teaching school. Shin-ae zieht mit ihrem Sohn Jun in die Geburtsstadt ihres krzlich verstorbenen Mannes, um einen Neuanfang zu wagen. To make things even worse for Shin-ae, she is surrounded by people who feel the exact same way. Jun was determined to save Kazuya from Devil's possession, and the inner conflict she inspired in him was the main reason he was defeated and seemingly killed by Heihachi at the end of The King of Iron Fist Tournament 2. Miryang/Secret Sunshine (2007 South Korea 142 mins), Prod Co: CJ Entertainment/Cinema Service/Pine House Film Prod: Lee Hanna Dir: Lee Chang-dong Scr: Lee Chang-dong, based on the novel by Yi Chong-jun Phot: Cho Yong-kyou Ed: Kim Hyun Prod Des: Shin Jum-hee Mus: Christian Basso, Cast: Jeon Do-yeon, Song Kang-ho, Jo Yeong-jin, Kim Mi-kyung, Kim Yeong-jae, Ko Seo-hie. Even though she's just a child (I'm not sure how old the actress is, but the character is probably supposed to be 15-16), Shin-ae still can't forgive her for her father's crime. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. The most notable part in this chunk of the film is when she tries to seduce the pharmacist's husband. Jeons performance shows us early on in Secret Sunshine that Shin-ae is a character subject to dramatic changes from lost, to heartbroken, to blissful, to angry, and back again. George Pattison, a chartered accountant, murdered his wife Emma and their daughter, Lettie, with a shotgun before turning the weapon on himself. Just like being born again as a Christian is supposed to change who you are and everything you believe, being born again in grief alters your most fundamental values and ideals. Dennis Schwartz: Ozus World Movie Reviews, Copyright 2023 - Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews. tries to purchase some land, Kim recommends a very wealthy and powerful land owner. She reveals that she went into juvenile detention for falling in with the wrong crowd and quit school. The suspect reportedly barricaded himself in his home, where . Few performances have so bitterly captured what it looks like to be tangled up in emotion while also, to some degree, manipulating it for an audience, dialing it up for maximum impact, luxuriating in that moment when the tears finally do come. After the funeral scene, the rest of Secret Sunshine plays out as one womans descent into purgatory, an arc that places Jeon Do-yeons exposed nerve of a performance in the company of Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence, Isabelle Adjani in Possession, and so many other great roles that flirt with ideas of female hysteria.But what makes Jeons work here so satisfying is the matter-of-fact way she and Lee navigate Shin-aes whiplash moods. This is another really remarkable scene and the first time I saw it I actually didn't understand what was happening at first. "Welcome 1st June and end 30th June by setting goals, saying prayers, and working hard.". If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. Like the shaky "Biutiful," "Secret Sunshine" spotlights a lead actor in a painful, difficult role. And every time she responds to a tragedy with a cold, withdrawn expression, the intense body movements offer more of a pay-off. Synopsis. The simplistic and perennially optimistic Jong initially thinks that the meeting has gone well, the beatific smile of the inmate an easy marker of his shared and redeeming Christian faith. 94%. Secret Sunshine. 2:32. . The Secret Sunshine Project Benjamin Dean 4.29 213 ratings70 reviews A heart-warming story of kindness, courage and love in all its forms. Or at least not a Christian. Shin-ae snaps back a bit, but is still withdrawn and uninterested in debating somebody about religion right after her son's death. Tuoba Jun receives a letter about his father. Secret Sunshine: The Criterion Collection. They give us a clearer indication of the transformation that grief puts its subject through. Lee has commented that he wanted to strip everything back in this film so that we would be forced to focus on the raw experience of the central character and her attempts to deal with her sons death. She hardly says a word, but instead, her face falls slightly, and she merely looks at the killer. Her young son, Jun, is discovered dead in a river after having been. In the season four episode "For All Debts Public and Private," Tony tells Christopher that Dickie was shot in cold blood outside his home in the 1970s as a result of a feud with a criminal named. The initial, if superficial hope of change and cleansing offered by this routine action is undermined by the fact that her young hairdresser turns out to be the daughter of her sons murderer, herself recently released from juvenile detention. [2] The screenplay based on the short fiction "The Story of a Bug" by Lee Cheong-jun that focuses on a woman as she wrestles with the questions of grief, madness and faith. Not long before, her mother-in-law had been demanding to see evidence of inconsolable anguish. The Christians portrayed in Secret Sunshine are just suggesting a cookie cutter process they'd suggest to almost anybody who isn't Christian. But this is also crying that revels in being seen and heard, crying that requires a spectator (a role that Jong-chan, throughout the film, humbly fulfills, and that God seems to repeatedly decline). At home, Shin-ae and Jun engage in a prank where Shin-ae pretends to be unable to find Jun. As she tries to come to herself and set out on new foundations, another tragic event overturns her life. However, when she gets to the prison she finds out god has already beaten her to the punch. "In early June, the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different.". When the camera cuts to a medium close-up of her face, we see tears welling up in her eyes. Profile. As a result, this woman is the first to gossip about the stranger at the beautician's. More from. You want crying? After this, the film immediately jumps forward by an unspecified amount of time. Its based on the novel by Chong-jun Yi. None of the Christians around her are struggling with their faith or coping with self-doubt. More from JustWatch. Minutes pass, and as the camera surveys the congregation singing, swaying, and surrendering to the spirit, we start to hear throaty, coughed-up wails. I have a feeling already that this is going to run on, so I'll start with a couple disclaimers. Teaser Trailer. She's looking up at the ceiling (that's a really common motif in this film, people are constantly looking up at the sky or the ceiling and imploring god) and making some labored, painful noises. Rating. Conscious Dance and movement combining aspects of meditation and ecstatic dance.. As she tries to come to herself and set out on new foundations, another tragic event overturns her life. It may be the most cringe-inducing moment in this very grim film, because it evokes a truth about human behavior movies rarely ask us to consider: that as much as we may think of crying as an involuntary reaction that bubbles up from our innermost depths, it is just as easily perceived by others as affectation, assessed as performance. from Seoul to Miryang, the hometown of her deceased businessman husband who recently died in a car accident. Jeon Do-yeon won the best actress prize at Cannes for her emotional performance. [17], On August 23, 2011, The Criterion Collection released the film on DVD and Blu-ray, both of which includes a new video interview with Lee Chang-dong, a behind-the-scenes featurette, the US theatrical trailer, and a booklet featuring a new film essay by film critic Dennis Lim. (Source: Wikipedia) Edit Biography. 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