Poetry
Composite Score: 85.57
Starring: Yun Jeong-hie, Lee Da-wit, Kim Hee-ra, Ahn Nae-sang, Kim Yong-taek, Park Myung-shin, Kim Jong-goo, Kim Hye-jung, Min Bok-gi, and Jang Hye-jin
Director: Lee Chang-dong
Writer: Lee Chang-dong
Genres: Drama, Mystery, Crime
MPAA Rating: PG
Box Office: $2.54 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Poetry is Lee Chang-dong’s film about a 60-something woman who starts a poetry class after receiving an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, using her study of the world around her to manage her symptoms and process her grandson’s involvement in an egregious crime. The film stars Yun Jeong-hie in the leading role of Yang Mi-ja, supported by Lee Da-wit as her grandson Jong-wook, Kim Hee-ra as the elderly man she cares for – Mr. Kang –, Kim Yong-taek portraying himself as a poetry teacher, and Kim Jong-goo as Detective Park Sang-tae who also enjoys poetry. The film’s engagement with themes of aging, the patriarchy’s desire to protect men’s “future” at all costs, and the impact of poetry have made it one of the modern classics of Korean cinema.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
While I don’t think there’s much to complain about with Poetry beyond a few scenes that might drag on a bit too long, I do think that the film can be difficult to watch, especially for those affected by the crime and illness that the film depicts. Yun’s portrayal of a woman in the early stages of Alzheimer's is particularly affecting, playing it off with a level of authenticity only sometimes seen in such performances that might be upsetting for those with loved ones suffering from the disease. Similarly, the film’s treatment of Jong-wook’s, his friends’, and their parents’ attempts to ignore, move on from, and cover up their crimes could be triggering for people who have experienced such gaslighting and covering up when they have come forward with accusations like the ones leveled against the boys in this film. It’s such an honest and topical look at society’s normalization of “protecting” young men who have committed an egregious crime that those familiar with it might be made too uncomfortable to fully enjoy this film. I will say that the case in the film does conclude in as positive a manner as you could hope for, given the starting point, but that doesn’t change the effect that it might have on the audience, depending on the viewer’s own experiences.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Lee Chang-dong delivers on the promise of his film’s title, giving the audience a poem in the form of a film. Stanzas consisting of scenes are broken up by moments of quiet when Mi-ja takes time to appreciate nature and her surroundings in pursuit of a poem. Motifs of fruit, transportation, and the relationships between generations carry the audience through the picture that the film paints. Its ruminations on aging, sexuality, social class, and familial responsibility offer plenty for the audience to think on, without offering anything too strong in terms of moral judgments (aside from condemning rape and those who try to cover it up). Yun’s performance as Mi-ja provides a perspective from which the audience can read the poetry of the story. Recurring characters and locations, like the boys’ parents, the bridge, buses, Mr. Kang, and Detective Park serve as the rhythm and rhyme, repeating throughout the film while providing some new perspective or piece of character development with each appearance.
All of the pieces of this film work together to form this moving poem, examining the struggles of aging, parenting, justice, grief, and beauty that earns Lee Chang-dong’s Poetry a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time. Some of the film’s thematic elements might be difficult for some audiences to process, so it’s important to read up on it a bit before you commit to it, but if you do, you’ll find something worth ruminating on for quite a while. If you’ve got a library card, you can currently stream this film via Hoopla or Kanopy; if not, you can rent it or buy it on Amazon Prime to watch it in the near future.
