2002
South Korea
Oasis
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Comments: An amazing love story. Outstanding performances by the two leads.
Jong-du is a social misfit, heading for retarded. When his brother tells him he should think before he acts, he responds "I don't know what you mean", and he doesn't. He can't see the need to. Gong-ju has cerebral palsy. Jong-du doesn't see it, or he sees right through it. Clearly. It registers nothing in him. This is a Korean film so the pace is slower than american audiences are used to, and the genre clues aren't as evident. There is no happily ever after, some story lines are questionable and the ending mostly bad to absurd. Still. Wow. Summary: Jong-du, a young man just out of prison for manslaughter, is a social misfit: fidgety, snuffling, laughing inappropriately, without a super ego. When released, he calls on the family of the victim; they send him away, but not before he has seen Gong-ju, a young woman disabled severely by cerebral palsy. Both are abused by their families, and both are used by them as well. Although their relationship begins with Jong-du's criminal behavior, a friendship develops. They talk of favorite things; he washes her hair; they go out; in late night phone calls, he helps her past her fears of the dark. Is there a place in the world for these two inarticulate people? |
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