Korean Cinema: Independent Visions of the Short Film

"Korean Cinema: Independent Visions of the Short Film," screening at Anthology Film Archives on August 18 and 19 at 6:30, consists of two programs featuring recent award-winning short films from the Seoul Independent Film Festival. This festival is a showcase for many talented filmmakers, and proves that in current Korean cinema, some of the most challenging and exciting works are emerging from the independent sector. The films chosen for these two evenings are fine examples of this.

Lee You-rim's "A Beautiful Wife" follows a grieving widow, Yoon-hee (Moon Hyung-ju), as she is caught between the agendas of the union her dock-worker husband Eun-ho belonged to, and the company he worked for. Eun-ho fell to his death from the dock where he was working, and his union insists it was a suicide, committed in response to the union chairman's protest suicide in the midst of a very bitter strike action. The union wants Yoon-hee to sign a statement affirming this to help their cause. The company wants to Yoon-hee to sign their own statement that Eun-ho slipped while drunk, offering her compensation. Yoon-hee refuses them both, refusing to believe that her husband killed himself, but also unwilling to let the company off the hook for their unsafe working conditions. The film compellingly captures the impact of ideology and politics on those caught in these conflicts. Both sides harangue Yoon-hee, unwilling to consider her feelings as a grieving widow, and both only wanting to use her in their war. Flashbacks outline brief scenes between the couple, and their arguments over his activism and how the union strike has affected their family. The short is filmed with little adornment, and focuses on Yoon-hee's indecision and grief.