Secret Sunshine (밀양) written and directed by Lee Chang-dong (이창동) 2007
9 December 2007The film that won the Prix d’interprétation féminine du Festival de Cannes for Jeon Do Yeon (best actress). This is a powerful and moving film about loss and it’s effects on people. This is an amazing film, and my only complaint is that it is all hand held and honestly I am getting really sick of the hand held movie thing, I know it is all the style and rage, but it honestly distracts me and pulls me away from otherwise amazing films. This is really worth checking out, a must see. Lets hope this comes out in the US soon.
Shin Ae (Jeon Do Yeon 전도연) is moving the the city of Mil Yang with her small son Jun (Seong Jeong Yeob) from Seoul after her cheating husband was killed in an automobile accident, but their car breaks down on the way, and they get a mechanic Kim Jong Chan (Song Gang Ho 송강호) to help them. Shin Ae opens a piano school, and Jon Chan does everything he can to get her business and help her, as he is obviously interested in her. Shin Ae meanwhile meets various people, including the christian pharmacists across the way who want her to join their church. Shin Ae keeps talking about how she wants to buy land and invest and Jong Chan tries to help her, introducing her to people, but when she starts making friends, she spends one night out with other ladies from the town, and returns home to find Jun is missing. She gets a call to get all her money and leave it, but she does, and it is not enough, because she was lying about the investing, because she wanted to pretend she had money. The son is then found murdered, and she is crushed. Then she sees the delinquent daughter of the school bus driver (Jo Yeeong Jin 조영진) crying and looking into her store, she calls the police, and the girls father is caught and put in prison for the murder. Shin Ae is followed around by Jong Chan, and goes to a church meeting, and quickly finds god.
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…
Shin Ae becomes a true believer, and finds happiness, or at least she pretends to, as she is still miserable. And Jong Chan followers her, and goes to church because he likes her. She becomes more and more religious, being very friendly all the other church goers, until finally she decides she is going to go to prison and forgive the murderer of the her son, and of course Jong Chan goes along as well. THings seem to go well, as he has found god and been forgiven, but that pushes Shin Ae over the deep end, and she loses her faith in god as how could he have forgiven the killer and left him in piece when she is in so much pain. She just freaks out, and to test god, she goes and tries to seduce the old pharmacist, but he can’t get it up, and she misses a dinner date with Jong Chan which was for his birthday, but goes to his place and says she will sleep with him, but he freaks out and kicks her out.
Shin Ae goes home, and looks up talking to god, asking if he is watching as she cuts her own wrists, but wanders outside and is taken to a hospital.
When she is let out, of course Jong Chan goes to get her, and she wants a haircut on the way, so he takes her to a salon, but it is the daughter of the murdered who is there, and who is supposed to cut her hair, so Shin Ae freaks out and leaves after the cut is started, screaming at Jong Chan and heading home, to cut her own chair, when Jong Chan comes and holds the mirror for her, so she can cut her own hair.
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A lovely and powerful film with great performances. This is an absolute must see film. And she was very deserving of the the award at Cannes.
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