By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Chang-dong Lee
Starring: Da-wit Lee | Hira Kim | Joeng-hie Yun | Nae-sang Ahn | Yong-taek Kim
Original language title: Shi
Country: south_korea
Year: 2011
Running time: 139
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1287878/
Ibad says: “POETRY is a fascinating and often heartbreaking story focusing around an older woman desperate for fulfillment, vision, and control over her thoughts and memories. At the center of it is a behemoth of a performance by Jeong-he Yoon, displaying a brave vulnerability throughout with sensitivity and delicacy. Points of the film will have you feeling as light as a feather from its sheer loveliness, other points will have your jaw to the floor in disturbing disbelief. With a runtime of approximately two and a half hours, it did tend to cinematically ramble a bit in its last half hour where it got slightly distracted from the beautiful simplicity of the central and most interesting storyline, but it compensates with a final scene of pure
visual poetry that rivals any film sequence since the new millennium. 4 cats”
Toni says: “A great film overall as many have already noted and although the pacing was a little slow, I was engaged to follow the complex journey to the end. The grandmother should get a nomination as it was a tough part to play. 5 cats”
Michael says: “POETRY is a South Korean film by filmmaker Chang-dong Lee who created similarly challenging films OASIS and SECRET SUNSHINE. The issues tackled in POETRY are numerous, including the harsh realities of aging, the social status of women, rape, loneliness and family ties. Surprisingly, they all mesh beautifully to tell a dramatic and moving story about Mija, an aging woman trying to learn poetry. Mija is actually trying to do a heck of a lot more than that, and we share her frustration as she finds herself overwhelmed as she is pushed around by her grandson, the parents of his classmates, her doctors, and the partially disabled man she cares for. Through all her challenges she strives to find that hidden spark of creativity within her so she can write a single poem for a class she has enrolled in. Jeong-hie Yunis astounding as Mija, a complex role that faces and overcomes many challenges while never letting us forget that she is a woman alone in a difficult world, while her health deteriorates. No surprise Jeong-hie has appeared in nearly 200 films. Director Chang-dong Lee also shows his skill at creating a film that echoes its title, while subtly and quietly condemning certain aspects of society. 4 1/2 cats”