Secret Sunshine (Korean; 2007)
Director Lee Chang-dong
Life is not easy. The inner desire for everyone is to be in control of things, especially of his own. This more so in the modern era where our way of thinking has been stimulated by philosophers and thinkers before us have told us to ask why, what, when and how? Gone are the days when subjects are just are going to take whatever told by the master wholesome without batting an eyelid. It must have been to convince someone that He was the Son of God, or He was the product of an Immaculate Conception and a virgin birth. Try doing it now!
There is something about this Korean director, Lee Chang-dong, that I find fascinating. His stories are seamlessly mostly outdoors and scenic view of the countryside. The actors also appear like everyday people like in a neorealist setup.
The film starts with Lee Shin-ae travelling to a small town named Miryang (means Secret Sunshine in ancient Chinese language) with her son. The car breaks down, and a mechanic helps her out. The mechanic, Kim, becomes her close friend as she settles in her new place. Shin-ae is starting life anew in Miryang, after losing her husband in a road traffic accident. Miryang is also her husband's hometown.
Shin-ae tries to mingle in with the crowd working as a piano teacher. She starts having a new set of friends through Kim. We are told slowly that Shin-ae's husband was no angel but a two-timing lover.
Just when everything was going on smoothly, mishap sets in. Her son is kidnapped and is killed after the ransom was not adequately raised. Losing two people close to her at such a short interval proved too much for her to stomach. Devasted, the initially atheist in her religiosity, she is drawn into Christianity. Religious indulgence gives her so much peace and coming to terms with her losses. There are eternal peace and contentment in her mind. She came to a stage when she even wanted to forgive the kidnapper who killed her son!
A visit to the state prison changed all these. The prisoner whom she wanted to forgive had already had his own realisation. He had embraced Christianity and felt that he is absolved of all his past sins. Shin-ye cannot accept this. It seems too easy! After all the misery that she had gone through, the murderer had it too simple.
That is when she flips. Too many questions keep springing in her mind. Life is just not fair. Even the religious movement that she was so engrossed in appears fake. The holy man is also not so holy after all. She has a nervous breakdown and is institutionalised. The ever faithful Kim is still hanging around, attending to her every need.
Is it better for us to accept things as they are rather than pondering much about the purpose of its occurrences? Should we fight tooth and nail for universal justice? Is nature just, anyway? Should we be apathetic? Sometimes ignorance is bliss. That is the curse of having a brain!
Director Lee Chang-dong
Life is not easy. The inner desire for everyone is to be in control of things, especially of his own. This more so in the modern era where our way of thinking has been stimulated by philosophers and thinkers before us have told us to ask why, what, when and how? Gone are the days when subjects are just are going to take whatever told by the master wholesome without batting an eyelid. It must have been to convince someone that He was the Son of God, or He was the product of an Immaculate Conception and a virgin birth. Try doing it now!There is something about this Korean director, Lee Chang-dong, that I find fascinating. His stories are seamlessly mostly outdoors and scenic view of the countryside. The actors also appear like everyday people like in a neorealist setup.
The film starts with Lee Shin-ae travelling to a small town named Miryang (means Secret Sunshine in ancient Chinese language) with her son. The car breaks down, and a mechanic helps her out. The mechanic, Kim, becomes her close friend as she settles in her new place. Shin-ae is starting life anew in Miryang, after losing her husband in a road traffic accident. Miryang is also her husband's hometown.
Shin-ae tries to mingle in with the crowd working as a piano teacher. She starts having a new set of friends through Kim. We are told slowly that Shin-ae's husband was no angel but a two-timing lover.
Just when everything was going on smoothly, mishap sets in. Her son is kidnapped and is killed after the ransom was not adequately raised. Losing two people close to her at such a short interval proved too much for her to stomach. Devasted, the initially atheist in her religiosity, she is drawn into Christianity. Religious indulgence gives her so much peace and coming to terms with her losses. There are eternal peace and contentment in her mind. She came to a stage when she even wanted to forgive the kidnapper who killed her son!
A visit to the state prison changed all these. The prisoner whom she wanted to forgive had already had his own realisation. He had embraced Christianity and felt that he is absolved of all his past sins. Shin-ye cannot accept this. It seems too easy! After all the misery that she had gone through, the murderer had it too simple.That is when she flips. Too many questions keep springing in her mind. Life is just not fair. Even the religious movement that she was so engrossed in appears fake. The holy man is also not so holy after all. She has a nervous breakdown and is institutionalised. The ever faithful Kim is still hanging around, attending to her every need.
Is it better for us to accept things as they are rather than pondering much about the purpose of its occurrences? Should we fight tooth and nail for universal justice? Is nature just, anyway? Should we be apathetic? Sometimes ignorance is bliss. That is the curse of having a brain!
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