|
After her husband's death, piano teacher Shin-ae (Jeon Do-yeon) moves
to small town Miryang with her young son Jun, the hometown of her husband
she has never even seen. She immediately attracts the attention of
mechanic Kim, who soon falls in love with her and tries to help her out
wherever he can, but he's always too hesitant to make the final move ...
and she sometimes even feels crowded by him. Then one day though,
Shin-ae's son has suddenly disappeared, and a voice on the phone demands
ransom from her. In her panic, Shin-ae wants to turn to Kim, but just that
time, he's not around to help her ... Unable to come up with the full
amount the kidnapper demands, Shin-ae gives him what she's got - which is
not enough for the man, and thus he won't release Jun. Only now does
Shin-ae inform the police, but they are only able to find the boy dead -
but are quick in tracking down and arresting the kidnapper/killer too ...
not that that would be any concelation for Shin-ae. The next weeks,
Shin-ae runs through the streets trying to come to terms with her pain,
with only Kim being there to look after her - and finally she thinks she
has found the answer in Christian faith. Thus, Shin-ae becomes a frequent
church goer and even helps out in the local church ... and like a good
dog, Kim follows her, even though he can't make himself believe. Eventually,
Shin-ae thinks the only thing that will make her pain go away is to visit
the killer of her son in prison and tell him she has forgiven him, letting
him feel the love of God - a visit that turns horribly wrong when the
killer claims he too has found God in prison and has found peace and God's
forgiveness too - which sounds almost as if he wanted to mock Shin-ae
since he has indirectly found peace through the killing of her son ... After
that experience, Shin-ae's behaviour becomes more and more erratic, she
starts shoplifiting, sabotaging church meetings, at one point tries to
seduce the reverend (he can't perform though), and later even Kim - who by
that point is fed up with her behaviour though. Ultimately, Shin-ae tries
to kill herself, but is saved just in time and sent to an asylum. It's
only when she's out again to find Kim still waiting for her and receive
forgiveness from a highschool girl she refused to help that she finally
comes to terms with her life ... Subtly directed drama that
intentionally lacks spectacular setpieces (even if the plot would have
allowed them) or stylized sequences to just bring its story across in a
very natural yet compelling way, that adds just enough humour to the mix
to keep the story from becoming a tearjerker, and that, despite its quiet
narrative flow is still exciting enough to keep one interested throughout
(and the film runs for almost 2 and a half hours). Add to that a great
central performance by Jeon Do-yeon and you've got a really good film.
|
amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
amazon.de
eThaiCD.com
find Secret Sunshine at adultvideouniverse.com
