By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Albert Shin
Starring: Anh Ji Hye | Chang-hwan Kim | Hae-yeon Kil | Kyung-Ik Kim | Yoon Da-Kyung
Country: canada, south_korea
Year: 2014
Running time: 115
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3662830/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Bruce says: “Films from other countries often are less appreciated than they should be due to the gap in understanding of those countries mores and taboos. In the case of IN HER PLACE, knowing about the South Korean taboo of the barren wife and the huge emphasis on bloodlines in Korean culture makes a huge difference in understanding the film; fortunately, Albert Shin has made a film that can be appreciated without the additional knowledge. The script Shin wrote with Pearl Ball-Harding is definitely the star of the show although every aspect of IN HER PLACE is executed with an accomplished hand.
“A woman (Yoon Da-Kyung) and her husband (Kyung-Ik Kim) arrive by Mercedes at a remote farm in rural South Korea. They are greeted by a woman who obviously is expecting them. The husband begs off staying with his wife claiming he has business appointments. His wife registers disappointment; she thought the visit would be a shared one. Shortly the purpose of the visit is revealed. The wife has come to the farm to be with a mother (Hae-yeon Kil) and her pregnant sixteen year old daughter (Anh Ji Hye); after the baby is born the woman will return to Seoul claiming the newborn as her own. ‘Think of this as your home,’ the mother tells the women as she shows her to a room set up in an outbuilding.
“The pregnant teenager is sullen, not because of her condition but because her mother has forbidden her to see the father of the child. Days go by and the woman wanders about the farm. The mother is frequently off running errands or working the fields. The woman makes an attempt to befriend the girl. It becomes clear that the girl is in a vulnerable state of mind. A doctor comes to check on the baby’s progress. He notes that the girl is not gaining weight as a pregnant woman should.
“The storytelling shifts in focus with the precision of a filmmaking master. Instead of the woman’s story it becomes the pregnant girl’s story. We learn that she has not stopped seeing her boyfriend (Chang-hwan Kim). She is also doing some alarming things to either punish herself or harm the baby. When her mother makes some discoveries of her own, she becomes more strict and overly protective. Keeping the baby healthy and the father of the child out of the picture are essential to getting the large sum that will help mother and girl start a new life somewhere else.
“The film’s last sequences are shocking. Once again the storytelling shifts in focus to the mother’s story. The acting is uniformly excellent with Hae-yeon Kil a particular standout as the mother who thinks she has all the answers.
“Albert Shin is a Canadian born South Korean who has always wanted to make a film in South Korea. IN HER PLACE is his second feature film. I’m already looking forward to his next one and hope I get a chance see POINT TRAVERSE, his 2009 film. 5 cats
“IN HER PLACE screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.”