As a national cinema, Korea is generally thought to comprise two main branches: (1) mainstream movies done in a style close to the international popular cinema norm (i.e. Hollywood);and (2) art cinema films made by auteurs who avoid the conventions of genre entertainment. In this way, it is not much different than other national industries. But, Korean cinema does have a number of crossovers between these two poles, especially within the domestic market itself. So while there are festival directors like Hong Sang-soo and Kim Ki-duk who do not gain a large following within the country, there are filmmakers like Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho and even Lee Chang-dong who are able to achieve domestic success and international critical praise. This occurs on a smaller scale as well. Just as Hollywood has a number of independent films that bridge the gap between the popular and the esoteric, so does Korea have films that are mixed or hybrid in their approach. One such film is THIS CHARMING GIRL, the feature debut of Lee Yoon-ki. Although relatively unknown as an art cinema director, Lee has made films that have all found critical favour by critics focused on Korean cinema: LOVE TALK (2005), AD LIB NIGHT (2006), and MY DEAR ENEMY (2008).

Why hasn’t Lee become well-known on the festival circuit? There are undoubtedly many factors, but upon watching his first film (the only one I’ve seen), I can make a speculation. In THIS CHARMING GIRL, Lee attempts to make a small, unassuming character study that combines elements of objective realism (long takes and especially long shots, framing characters within their environment) with what I would call subjective realism (expressionist use of sound and image to convey the mind of the character). A good example of the numerous instances of this strategy can be found in a sequence near the conclusion. There is a long take from behind two characters framed in long shot, from which Lee cuts abruptly to a close-up of the lead character Jeong-hae’s face. Lee consistently uses both modes in an approach very similar to American “indie” cinema, and this is both the strength and weakness of his style. In his positive review. Kim Kyu Hyun praises Lee for avoiding an overly “arty” approach:

“We live in a world where cinema verite takes of sweaty, gymnastic sex or of characters languorously inhaling cigarettes with vacant eyes automatically cue us that they are meant to be serious ‘art’ films. This Charming Girl, on the other hand, is like an entire film devoted to one of the “extra” figures appearing for a minute or so in these movies, say, a post-office clerk who processes the protagonist’s Sturm und Drang letter to her divorced husband, and immediately exits the movie. Director Lee Yoon-ki and the filmmakers, adapting Woo Ae-ryung’s novel, deliberately focus on such a seemingly boring and inconsequential character, and restore her integrity as a personage: she is revealed to have an inner world just as mysterious and absorbing as those of the conventional ‘art’ film characters.”

The problem is that these very qualities are what keep the film from finding any wider success. Compared to Hong Sang-soo and Kim Ki-duk, there is nothing truly distinctive here, no truly personal voice. Lee has simply taken a novel and its character and tried to use his skill to accurately convey this person, both in terms of her social environment and personal psychology. It is very well crafted and accomplishes its goals perfectly. It is only the ambition that is lacking. This is a solid piece of cinema, but does not compare with the great films of Hong, Lee Chang-dong, or even more mainstream genre directors like Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho. Even the work of Kim Ki-duk, which I personally dislike quite strongly, is nevertheless more clearly the work of an auteur. Based on this first film, Lee Yoon-ki gives the impression of being more a journeyman, somebody unlikely to make a truly great film but also unlikely to make a bad one either.

This may sound like a negative review, but it actually isn’t. THIS CHARMING GIRL is a fine character study, well-acted, and it gets the details of Korean life correct. Nothing feels false about this film, at least on the surface. Like any filmmaker, Lee is making choices here, and a close look reveals a very stylized work, despite the high praise for its realism (which itself is just a stylistic choice, or choices). It is very easy to invest emotionally in this character and her life. However, at the same time, there is a slightly clinical feel here, almost as if this is a filmmaking exercise trying to mask itself as a pure character study. What I think is missing is a stronger social dimension. THIS CHARMING GIRL works best when it sticks to placing the character within the social world. When it goes inside her mind, it is less successful because it never makes the connection between the social and psychological spaces strong enough (the best of the American indies, such as last year”s WENDY AND LUCY, are able to accomplish this). This could have been a much more focused and critical look at Korean society, like Lee Chang-dong’s work. Unfortunately, the psychologizing takes away from this, leaving us more with the feeling of mental rather than social illness, which is a much safer tactic.

Despite this, I think this is worth seeing and many will like it more than I did. I’ll still interested in seeing more of Lee’s films, especially AD LIB NIGHT, of which I’ve heard good things. And, if film history has shown us anything, it is that even craftsman have great films in them. Perhaps there is a CASABLANCA or MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE in his future.

THIS CHARMING GIRL and MY DEAR ENEMY are both currently available, while LOVE TALK and AD LIB NIGHT are released on DVD but currently listed as out of stock.

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