A Girl at My Door, the remarkable first feature film from Korean
director July Jung is a brave and sharply observed drama about the ugly side of
small town prejudices and thought-provoking inconvenient truths.
We are introduced to a seaside fishing village on the Korean
coast through the eyes of a newly arrived police chief, Young-nam from the
capital city of Seoul. She comes with
her own psychological baggage after being reassigned but is determined to keep
a low profile until she can return to the city.
This exceptional film keeps us completely entranced by the
intensely captivating performances of Doona Bae as the new police chief and the
story of a sullen ten year old girl, Do-Hee, who she finds wandering through
the village late at night.
Curious about this glum girl’s strange behavior in her
tattered clothes, Young-nam soon finds herself running to Do-Hee’s defense when
the local kids, her drunken stepfather and crazy grandmother are regularly seen
beating and abusing the defenseless girl.
There are many social issues that are touched on in this
film about domestic violence and the state’s responsibility to protect children
from abusive families. Korean films in general are well known for making jabs
at Government incompetency and this film is no exception.
The story is carefully set up from Young-nam’s perspective
and we slowly discover more about the psychological damage the girl has
suffered as she comes to seek refuge with the new police chief who is forced to
take her in for a while to protect her from the village and her family.
Doona Bae brings the same intensity and piercing stare that
she brought to her bow and arrow wielding character in The Host (2006). She is mesmerizing as we watch her battle with her
inner conflicts and the town’s local bullies who seem to take pleasure in
abusing the motherless Do-Hee.
Much like the fishing villages of Newfoundland that was so
beautifully portrayed recently in The Grand Seduction (2014), A Girl at My
Door was filmed in actual fishing villages around the Korean coastline and we
get a sense of these insular communities and the small town politics that
prevail there.
Do-Hee quickly flourishes under Young-nam’s loving care and
grows into a happy child over the summer vacation, but she must eventually return
to her own home. And when Young-nam’s past comes back to haunt her, the only
one who can protect the vulnerable Do-Hee is eventually arrested and the
desperate girl is forced to take matters into her own hands.
The film makes a powerful statement about how the social
system, like any government agency, fails the people they are there to protect
in spite of their best intentions and is vulnerable to manipulation.
July Jung is a powerful new voice in Korean cinema who I
anticipate will be a force to watch. One of the best films at TIFF14.
JP
1 comment:
Looks like another in the series of excellent South Korean movies that have been released recently. Looks like a must see.
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