Treeless Mountain

Watched Singles and Treeless Mountain over the weekend, and discovered the 'hidden' treasures of Korean cinema all over again.

The first one, Singles, made in 2003, revolved around two women who are soon to turn 30. Both struggling to find a satisfactory career, they have however decided against an easy option for women of their age circumstances in Asian countries - to get married the man available at the time, which renders their career a secondary issue in effect - and have instead insisted on staying true to their heart, despite the challenges awaiting ahead as a single woman over their first flush of beauty. This is really a woman's film, not only because it is from their prospective, their desire and aspirations, the story is told, but also because the bonding between the two is one of the most engaging elements throughout. The subtle performances from the four leads add a lot to the charm of it as well.

If Singles can appeal to the mass audience without compromising its artistic integrity, Treeless Mountain is a typical art house daring that could be a challenge due to its slow pace, its unusual camerawork, the sparse dialogues, if not the plots. While the story and the use of non-professional actors etc reminds me of another low profile yet unexpectedly satisfying The Way Home, Treeless Mountain deals with more unsettling issues, the deserted children left to a not so welcoming relative, the relationship of the siblings who were put to test of all sorts at such a tender age, which contributes to the initial uncomfortable watching experience. To the credits of the writer-cum-director, and no less of her crew, the film managed to keep me stay tuned despite the unusual camerawork that keeps at the eye level of the two child actresses aged five and seven, the more than usual close-up shots, the 'ordinary' faces of the two leads that tell the story of the hearts and project depth in their changes of inside world. While the story in itself might not be a new one, the capturing of the change of relationship between the siblings and theirs with the outside world is human and certainly a triumph. It is a work of great confidence and very touching at many points, especially when they change all the ten cent coins to one cent ones in order to fill up the piggy - which is supposed to lead to their mother's return.

After watching the special feature where the director and her foreign crew met their audience in New York, I thought it could make a very interesting case if one compares it to The Brand New Life, which is also shot by a woman director who brings with her long term overseas experience (I am making this assumption based on the appearance and the fluency of Treeless Mountain's director's English as well as her witty and confident responses to the audience.) Some interesting questions can be asked such as if their more Westernised outlook (and closer than usual associations with the Western world) has made them to inspect their native country and its people differently from their 'domestic' colleagues.