He can unleash commandos, or cyberweapons, or threaten to utilize weapons of mass destruction unless. However, Lee's point is that religion is especially incapable of helping a person cope with grief. Her trusted female servant declares Ae Shin shouldn't see this and orders the palanquin to move forward. To walk away, you gotta leave something behind, or a long story short. Attempting to restart her life, she has somewhat surprisingly decided to move to the town with her son. If you happened to be watching in the darkness of a theater, you might have felt youd been given permission to fall apart right along with them. Aurora Amidon spends her days running the Great Expectations column and trying to convince people that Hostel II is one of the best movies of all time. Name: Jeon Do-Yeon Hangul: Birthdate: February 11, 1973 Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea Education: Seoul Institute of the Arts, Graduate School of Korea University Height: 165 cm. I have a feeling already that this is going to run on, so I'll start with a couple disclaimers. Relocating from the bustling metropolis of Seoul to her late husband's. hometown of Miryang makes her in some way still feel connected to the man she loved so deeply. In some ways the journey he plots out for Shin-ae is cruel. But God and the killer have a big and upsetting surprise for her: one that sends her careening into a downward spiral of self-destructive actions. But when Juns killer tells her that he, too, has found God, and, whats more, that God has forgiven him, Shin-ae suddenly meets the depths of despair. We can hardly see her through the crack in the window, but, like when she convinces the man to cheat on his wife with her, and when she plays the music, we know exactly what shes thinking and feeling. Take, for instance, a moment after Shin-ae claims to have found God. She is seemingly in a state of bliss as a result and decides to visit Juns killer in prison and forgive him. She likens it to a love affair at one point and that's fairly accurate way to describe it. Movie rating: 7.5 / 10 ( 8473 ) Directed by: Chang-dong Lee - Chung-Joon Lee Lee shoots it from an extreme distance to the point where it's basically impossible to make out anyone's facial expressions. As she tries to come to herself and set out on new foundations, another tragic event overturns her life. At home, Shin-ae and Jun engage in a prank where Shin-ae pretends to be unable to find Jun. Shin-ae snaps back a bit, but is still withdrawn and uninterested in debating somebody about religion right after her son's death. Jeon capitalizes on this fact in her standout performance, moving effortlessly from intense, guttural sadness to delusional happiness, then to psychosis and back again in an exhausting, whiplash-inducing emotional rollercoaster. Jeon finds similar power in gesture when she throws a rock at the window of the house she used to praise God in. She shuts herself off from the world entirely as a defense mechanism rather than letting any sort of emotion through whatsoever. 2:16. The 38-year-old single loser Kim Jong-chan (Song Kang-ho), a friendly garage owner, immediately becomes attracted to Shin-Ae and wont stop following her around to get a date, even though she shows no interest and is a different type of personality. Watch Trailer. She receives a phone call (implied to be from Jun's kidnapper) and draws all of the money from her bank account to pay as ransom. The subsequent scene where she visits him in jail is one of the films most extraordinary, suggesting the ultimate singularity of the individual and the cosmic indifference of any supreme, moral being or arbiter. Although this is the first big mental shift/breakdown Shin-ae experiences, it won't be the last by a long shot. The films final moments show Shin-ae cutting her own hair in the backyard she once played in with her son, the place where they enacted a game of separation and loss that became all too real. Secret Sunshine ( Korean : ; Hanja : ; RR : Miryang) is a 2007 South Korean drama film directed by Lee Chang-dong. Shin-ae denies this, but still hates her late husband for unspecified reasons. More than anything, it was the acting that bore the burden of carrying this off, and an lite class of performers were preternaturally gifted at breaking down for the camera. The most notable part in this chunk of the film is when she tries to seduce the pharmacist's husband. Yet, to suggest that Jeons expression is ever blank in. 2:32. Choosing where to start on Secret Sunshine is difficult because there are at least 3 or 4 distinct turning points in the film that mark a huge shift in Shin-ae's mental state/ability to process her grief. A born-again Christian who works at the pharmacy tells her about a revival meeting and promises that the gift of God is peace of mind and healing from life's woes. No doubt the pain is authentic; certainly its more than warranted. Eugene Choi (Lee Byung Hun) pulls the list of rebels I cant remember a time in my childhood when I saw a grown-up cry. Her actions, reactions, emotions and motivations are both understandable and mysterious. Ironically, Christianity helps her son's murderer far more than it helps her and that sets the rest of the film in motion. God has forgiven her sons killer before she has had a chance to. I hated them, and I felt guilty about hating them. A pretty thirtysomething widow named Lee Shin-Ae (Jeon Do-yeon) relocates with her elementary school-aged youngster Jun (Seon Jeong-yeob) from Seoul to Miryang, the hometown of her deceased businessman husband who recently died in a car accident. 2:35. 3 days ago. We acknowledge the sovereignty of the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin nation and support all Aboriginal people on their paths to self-determination. Sign Up for Free. "[14] Michael Atkinson of the Village Voice wrote that "the red-eyed Jeon, landing a Best Actress at Cannes in 2007 and unforgettable as well in The Housemaid, goes to hell and back. tries to purchase some land, Kim recommends a very wealthy and powerful land owner. Click here to make a donation. But Lees film insists upon the necessity and centrality of personal morality and experience, the painfully humanistic values of the self that transcend the transplanted, generalised beliefs of religion. This great director from the golden age of Mexican cinema drew upon a wide range of styles to explore the conflict between tradition and modernity. As she tries to come to herself and set out on new foundations, another tragic event overturns her life. The two of them have a complex relationship that I myself haven't quite figured out yet. 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. Special features on the DVD include an interview with director Lee Chang-dong; on the set of Secret Sunshine, a behind-the-scenes video piece featuring interviews with actors Jeon Do-yeon and Song Kang-ho; the U.S. theatrical trailer; and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Dennis Lim. From her palanquin Go Ae Shin (Kim Tae Ri) spies Eugene Choi (Lee Byung Hun) kneeling next to a body on a cart. But when Juns killer tells her that he, too, has found God, and, whats more, that God has forgiven him, Shin-ae suddenly meets the depths of despair. Here, it's Do-Yeon Jeon as Shin-Ae, a South Korean woman who relocates, along with her . When Jong-chan takes her brother to the railroad depot, he tells him that he's not Sin-ae's type. This drives Shin-Ae into an ever downward spiral of self-destruction. Jeon Do-yeon is simply incredible as she wails in animalistic, abject suffering. Shin-ae zieht mit ihrem Sohn Jun in die Geburtsstadt ihres krzlich verstorbenen Mannes, um einen Neuanfang zu wagen. But when Shin-Ae visits the prison to forgive the killer, he tells her he has found God and has peace now that he knows God has forgiven him. Grief is never straightforward. Shortly after this, she has to go to the town hall to register Jun's death. This is going to be something that comes up again in a later scene and something that repeatedly comes up with characters in the film itself. Jeon Do-yeon won the best actress prize at Cannes for her emotional performance. Secret Sunshine (Criterion Collection) Do-yeon Jeon (Actor), Kang-ho Song (Actor), Lee Chang-Dong (Director) Rated: Unrated Format: DVD 177 ratings IMDb 7.5/10.0 Amazon's Choice for "secret sunshine" -28% $2148 List Price: $29.95 Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns Prime Video $3.99 $12.99 Blu-ray $27.99 DVD $21.48 See More Sin-ae moves with her son Jun to Miryang, the town where her dead husband was born. Driven by unrelenting mental anguish, church and becomes a re-born Christian. There are glimpses of the way forward. Scott of the New York Times called the film "clear, elegant and lyrical. Shin-ae happily swaps pain and suffering for love and fellowship, but these new emotions are cheap and shallow. On the contrary though, I believe it's Lee's way of being respectful and giving Shin-ae room to grieve through his cinematography. Like, kind of gross but also cute happy. When tragedy strikes, Shin Ae undergoes an emotionally shattering journey that pits her against everything she's known about humanity, love, forgiveness, and God. Its based on the novel by Chong-jun Yi. We soon learn that the motivation behind this move is the recent death of her husband, but sorrow isnt detectable on her face; even when her car breaks down on the highway, she is reassuringly in control and at ease, not yet at anyones mercy. Andrew Chan is web editor at the Criterion Collection. Jong-chan rejects her proposal for sex and offers to drive her home, but she physically refuses. Sin-ae moves with her son Jun to Miryang, the town where her dead husband was born. But, in her performance, Jeon goes beyond these emotions, and in a tearful prayer, a gaze at the sky, or a blank stare, she gives us powerful insight into the core of Shin-ae. Film Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Lee Shin-ae (Jeon Do-yeon) is a widow in her thirties whose husband died in an automobile accident. After Jun is cremated, Shin-aes mother-in-law screams at her and tells her that she brings death wherever she goes. 2010 142 minutes. Shin-ae is a glass-half-full type, we assume, not one of those people predisposed to sadness, not someone who easily crumbles. She seems to feel it all. Jong-chan doesn't understand why Shin-ae needs to visit him to forgive him, but nevertheless accompanies her. A compelling and poignant Korean film about a besieged widow's journey into the far country of forgiveness. At first blush, this seems like a cold and impersonal way to shoot a scene where a mother sees her dead son's body. She will visit the man in prison who killed her son and forgive him. However, Shin-ae walks into the pharmacy and seduces the pharmacist's husband, but he is unable to perform, and she misses the date. A new life gone terribly wrong. Rating. She's completely blank and seems unable to process anything around her. Secret Sunshine (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Do-yeon Jeon (Actor), Kang-ho Song (Actor), Lee Chang-Dong (Director) Rated: Unrated Format: Blu-ray 180 ratings IMDb 7.5/10.0 -35% $2599 List Price: $39.95 FREE Returns Prime Video $3.99 $12.99 Blu-ray $25.99 DVD $22.49 Blu-ray August 23, 2011 The Criterion Collection 1 $25.99 $25.99 $19.99 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. Although the 142-minute running-time might seem forbidding for a film that is often staged on a such an intimate scale though with epic implications it is completely necessary in order to fully explore and present the various stages of Shin-aes grief and her process of mourning. Secret Sunshine | movie | 2007 | Official Trailer. She says the Lords Prayer but is unable to keep the tears from rolling down her cheeks. AKA: Sol Secreto. Later, police officers arrive to take her to a reservoir, where Jun was drowned. SECRET SUNSHINE Movie - JEON Do-yeon, SONG Kang-ho. Secret Sunshine (Korean:; Hanja:; RR:Miryang) is a 2007 South Korean drama film directed by Lee Chang-dong. In public, she is generally restrained and quiet, but when she lets go, she really lets go. Blood Type: O Movies. Her face is happy, but her eyes are not. 72K views 11 years ago Sin-ae moves with her son Jun to Miryang, the town where her dead husband was born. Get info about new releases, sales, and our online publication, Current. Two FBI agents are dead and at least three others are wounded after a raid on a home in Sunrise, Fla., turned violent early Tuesday. As she tries to come to herself and | dG1fMC1EWkhveFczVVk. Credits and casting. George Pattison, a chartered accountant, murdered his wife Emma and their daughter, Lettie, with a shotgun before turning the weapon on himself. won the best actress prize at Cannes for her emotional performance. [18][19][20], Prix d'interprtation fminine (Best Actress), Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, "Festival Distinguished by Its Strong Actresses", "Cannes top prize goes to Korean film actress", "Theatrical Releases in 2007: Box-Office Admission Results", "The directors' cut: film-makers choose the best movies of the century so far", "Classics of modern South Korean cinema ranked! There are hints from the . At home one day, Shin-ae hears noises in her bathroom and opens the door, crying out Jun's name, but the bathroom user is a little boy from Jun's daycare. The image of the sky is from the point-of-view of Jun, Shin-aes son, who gazes through the windscreen of the car. 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