Im Kwon-taek’s Revivre is a powerful story of a man, whose wife is terminally ill, who begins to fantasise about a sexual relationship with a much younger woman. Deftly contrasting traditionalism and modernity within the characters themselves, Revivre’s strengths ultimately lie in the painful, poignant realism on show, in spite of one rather questionable character motivation. [Read More]
People: Kim Gyu-ri
Festival Film Review: Hwajang / Revivre
Well, I was right. Ahn Sung-ki confessed in the Q+A which followed the screening of Hwajang that one of his most difficult tasks in portraying Oh Sang-moo, a senior executive in a cosmetics company, was to project certain aspects of being old – of being blocked inside because of the swollen prostate, of being more … [Read More]
Im Kwon Taek’s Hwajang selected to close 2014 LKFF
It’s tremendously good news that the closing gala screening of the London Korean Film festival 2014 is Im Kwon Taek’s 102nd film, Hwajang (western title: Revivre). It synchronises nicely with the KCCUK’s focus on literature this year, as it is based on a short story by Kim Hoon. More importantly, it’s a film that has … [Read More]
My Dear Girl, Jin-young (사랑해! 진영아, 2013) review: late blooming, shifting desires
My Dear Girl, Jin-young deftly stands as one of the latest cinematic examples to show just how far the Korean Romantic Comedy genre has come over the years in its depictions of relationships, social issues and sexuality; the film’s intelligently realised themes beautifully wrapped up in a warm and genuinely funny, zombie filled tale. [Read More]