 | Arahan Friday, September 9. 7 pm, Freer Gallery of Art A raucous blend of high-flying action and tongue-in-cheek comedy, this film from director Ryu Seung-wan pokes fun at the martial arts genre without skimping on thrills. The Seven Masters, a mystical group of middle-aged eccentrics charged with preserving cosmic justice (and played by some of Korea's greatest character actors), discover that a dopey traffic cop and a stubborn young woman just might be the warriors they need to defeat an ancient demon accidentally resurrected by a construction crew. 2004 / 114 min. |
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Spying Cam Sunday, September 11. 2 pm, Freer Gallery of Art Two men are trapped in a sweltering motel room with a video camera and a copy of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. They spend their time getting on each other's nerves, spying on the woman next door, and videotaping themselves acting out scenes from the book. Who are they, and how did they end up here? Director Whang Cheol-mean's brilliant independent feature is a model of inventive low-budget filmmaking, and the conclusion, with its surprisingly disturbing political overtones, packs a mean punch. 2004 / 100 min. |
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Die Bad Thursday, September 22, 7 pm, AFI Silver Theatre This astonishing directorial debut from Ryu Seung-wan (who also directed Arahan), ingeniously weaves four interconnected vignettes into a gritty, harrowing meditation on the nature of violence. The four stories center on a young man who pursues a life of crime after being released from prison for killing a teenage friend (who literally comes back to haunt him.) This film perfectly illustrates Ryu's talent for cerebral yet energetic action filmmaking. 2000 / 95 min. |
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A Tale of Two Sisters Friday, September 23. 7 pm, Freer Gallery of Art Asian horror films are all the rage these days, and director Kim Jee-woon's eerie thriller is one of the best. Featuring a spooky old house and a wicked stepmother, it has all the goosebump-inducing ingredients of a classic fairytale. Two young girls return home from a long convalescence, only to discover evil doings afoot. Unexplainable occurrences indicate something—or someone—from beyond the grave is very, very upset. 2003 / 115 min. |
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Someone Special Sunday, September 25. 2 pm, Freer Gallery of Art No country in the world makes romantic comedies quite like Korea. Jang Jin's latest film shows he is a master of the form, able to inject it with genuine emotional depth. Its plot centers around a lovesick baseball player and the undeniably strange woman who loves him. Veering wildly from unabashed sentimentality to sheer screwball goofiness, this lovable confection, which features terrific performances from its two leads, melts even the hardest of hearts. 2004 / 107 min. |
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Mudang: Reconciliation Between the Living and the Dead Sunday, October 2, 2 pm, Freer Gallery of Art This fascinating documentary serves as an excellent introduction to Korean Shamanism. Director Park Ki-bok explores this ancient tradition, which is still practiced by women in villages throughout the country, in a hypnotically compelling style that entrances both the newcomer and those familiar with this integral part of Korean culture. Be warned: this film shows actual rituals—some involving animal sacrifice and self-mutilation—that are not for the faint of heart. 2003 / 100 min. / video |
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Samaritan Girl Wednesday, October 5, 7 pm, AFI Silver Theatre Thursday, October 6, 9 pm, AFI Silver Theatre Loved by some, loathed by others, Kim Ki-duk (director of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring and 3-Iron) is by far Korea's most controversial filmmaker. This film proves why. When a teenage prostitute is killed, her best friend decides to sleep with all her clients, return their money, and tell them what happened as an act of penance. But then cop her father gets wind of the plan. The plot may sound depraved, but Kim manages to turn it into a surprisingly moving story about familial love. 2004 / 95 min. |
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R-Point Wednesday, October 5, 4:45 pm, AFI Silver Theatre Thursday, October 6, 6:50 pm, AFI Silver Theatre An intensely creepy psychological horror film set during the Vietnam War, this film from director Kong Su-chang tells the story of a Korean army platoon sent to an abandoned hotel to find out what happened to a group of fellow soldiers who disappeared in the vicinity. The supernatural goings-on they find are even more disturbing than the war raging around them, and just might keep you awake for weeks. 2004 / 107 min. |
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Save the Green Planet! Friday, October 7, 7 pm, Freer Gallery of Art Do not miss this chance to see one of the craziest cinematic creations ever put on film! Jang Jun-hwan's wacko sci-fi hybrid features a disturbed young man who believes he can stave off an alien invasion by kidnapping an executive who he thinks is one of them. The thing is, he just may be right. A roller coaster thrill ride that is by turns hilarious, tragic, gruesome, and surreal, this film feels like an unholy alliance between Stanley Kubrick and Salvador Dali, but beneath the insanity lies a sincere statement about environmental destruction. 2003 / 117 min. |
A Weekend with the Prince and Princess of Korean Cinema Today they are best known for having been kidnapped and forced to work for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il for several years, but in the 1950s and 1960s, Shin Sang-ok and his wife Choi Eun-hee reigned over the golden age of Korean cinema. Shin's technically sophisticated, emotionally charged films, many of which starred Choi, are still revered today. We are honored to welcome them to a weekend celebrating of their work. Travel and accommodation costs for Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee are provided by the Korea Foundation USA. | |
 | Sam Ryong the Mute Thursday, October 13, 7 pm, AFI Silver Theatre Guests: Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee The hero of this film is a deaf-mute who makes a modest living as a farmhand. When he falls in love with his master's daughter-in-law, he must confront the rigid rules of traditional Korean feudal society, and the prejudices of his employers, to win her hand. 1964 / 84 min. / b&w |
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Women of the Yi Dynasty Friday, October 14. 7 pm, Freer Gallery of Art Guests: Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee Choi stars in this film comprised of four separate stories, only three of which survive. A recurring theme in Shin's work is the plight of women in Korean society, and this film critiques the treatment of women according to Confucian doctrine during the Chosun (or Yi) dynasty, which began in the late 14th century. Both thematically and stylistically daring, it features Shin at his most transgressive. 1969 / 87 min. |
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The Houseguest and My Mother Sunday, October 16. 2 pm, Freer Gallery of Art Guests: Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee One of the all-time classics of Korean cinema, this beautiful, touching film features a wonderful performance by Choi. Three women—a widow, her daughter, and her mother-in-law—live together in a small village. One day a painter appears, claiming to know the widow's deceased husband. Shin's subtle direction finds the perfect elegiac tone for this tale of people for whom happiness is always just out of reach. 1961 / 103 min. / b&w |
 | Spider Forest Monday, October 17, 9 pm, AFI Silver Theatre Thursday, October 20, 9:40 pm, AFI Silver Theatre Min, a television producer, after narrowly surviving a car accident, tells the police that a couple was murdered in the forest near where he crashed. Min must then piece together the shards of his shattered memory to solve the mystery of their deaths, and the earlier death of his wife, which he foresaw in a vision. This intricate, visually arresting thriller from Song Il-gon is a complex narrative puzzle that will keep you guessing until the end. 2004 / 118 min. |
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