In recent years, more and more films have explored various social issues from the perspective of women. These films have gained the sympathy and support of the audience, and have offered different views on the world.
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⟨Miss Baek⟩, directed by Lee Ji-won (李智原), is a film about the protagonist, who isolates herself from others until she meets a girl who suffers from domestic abuse. The film had a hard time finding funding because of its female lead, but it managed to break even thanks to the full support and encouragement of female viewers.(c) BAE PICTURES, CJ ENM |
2018
2018 was a crucial year for Korean feminism. That year, a female prosecutor exposed that she had been sexually harassed by a senior official in the legal field, and the "Me Too" movement swept across South Korea. The long-suppressed pain and anger erupted everywhere, and the identities of the offenders who had almost escaped without being exposed were revealed one by one. Three years later, there is still a lot to do to solve the problems of sexual violence and gender discrimination that women face, but it is undeniable that the wheel of history has moved forward with a loud noise.
It is noteworthy that it was around this time that Korean films started to produce female narratives, especially works that looked at social issues from a female point of view. If the Me Too movement in reality is a movement to expose how violent the world is run based on masculinity, the continuous attempts at social women's narratives can be seen as a process of showing how ignored the media has been in allowing people to experience and understand society based on femininity.
What 'Me Too' Means
⟨Microhabitat⟩ (directed by Jeon Go-woon 田高賱), a film that highlights the housing and income issues of women living alone, ⟨Door Lock⟩ (directed by Lee Kwon 李权), ⟨Herstory⟩ (directed by Min Kyu-dong 閔奎東), a film about the legal fight of a grandmother who was a victim of the Japanese military Comfort Women, ⟨Miss Baek⟩ (directed by Lee Ji-won 李智原), a film that stands in solidarity against the visible and invisible violence that women face because they are women, ⟨Youngju⟩ (directed by Cha Sung-duk 車成德), which asks what it means to be an adult in this society from the perspective of a teenage girl, are all films released in 1 that can be categorized as social female narratives. Since then, female narratives have become a clear trend in Korean cinema.
Considering that these films were planned and released a few years before their release, it can be seen as the outcome of a collective consciousness of the reality that the patriarchal social system and the resulting violent environment remain unchanged, despite the overall change in social attitudes, bursting out all at once in the late 1s.
The combination of just two words, 'me' and 'too', means "I have also been victimized, but I have managed to keep silent and I will survive with the power of solidarity by sharing this fact with other victims." Even if the issue of sexual violence is not addressed, there is also a perception shared by the social women's narrative works that have been emerging in Korea in the last 10~2018 years.
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The main character of Jeon Go-woon's ⟨Microhabitat⟩ is a woman who can't pay her rent and decides to give up her apartment and roam around, but she refuses to give up her beloved cigarettes and whiskey. This character reflects the values of the 20s and 30s generation, and has received a lot of empathy from the young audience.(c) Gwanghwamun Cinema |
Solidarity and empathy
⟨Miss Back⟩ is an example of how the female audience's sense of solidarity has transformed into fandom and generated a positive response. The fans of ⟨Miss Back⟩, who called themselves "Miss Backer" when the film was released, came up with various ways to support the film, such as sending letters to the director. Their common goal was to help the film reach its break-even point. Some fans watched the movie multiple times, while others bought tickets for the screening times that they couldn't attend, as a way of showing their appreciation.
I met a female viewer in her 20s who said that she had watched the film for the fifth time and that "I didn't want this film to be forgotten without reaching a wider audience" and that "I was impressed by the characters who were survivors of violence and moved on without pitying themselves." Thanks to this fandom, ⟨Miss Back⟩ surpassed the break-even point of 5,70 cumulative viewers.
The reason why there is so much support for films that deal with violence is because the audience identifies with the meaning of Me Too, which is, "I am too." The protagonist of the film doesn't ignore the violence that a girl suffers. The film reminds us of what adults should do, but what this society lacks.
In an interview, director Lee Ji-won said, "The audience felt a deep connection with the story of the two characters who escape from the world that traps them by supporting each other, and I realized how long I've been waiting for a movie with a strong female character." Whether it is a pain in the heart or a force for change, we can see that it is a phenomenon that has emerged from something that has been accumulated in a violent social environment.
The characters in this film also save themselves without drowning in self-pity, but they don't lose their friendship with the people around them and their love for humanity in a world that forces them to be self-reliant. The mood of A Little Princess is quite different from that of ⟨Miss Back⟩, but there is a similarity in the woman's POV and their approach to the world. The fact that statistics have recently shown that the number of suicides among women in their 20s has risen sharply compared to other age groups and men, and the number of depression treatments has soared, shows that the film's social message is not trivial.
Raise an issue
One of the most representative works of social women's narratives in 2019 is Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 directed by Kim Do-young. The novel of the same name, published in 2016, has sparked a lot of debate and influence in Korean society.
The film portrays the daily struggles of a woman in her 30s who faces discrimination and misogyny in society. Some men criticized the film as "an exaggeration," while according to the woman's POV, "it isn't an exaggeration, but an understatement compared to reality."
The ones who call it "an exaggeration" tend to ignore the issues raised in the film as personal and blame them on a few bad actors. The ones who see it as "an understatement" recognize the situation as a systemic problem that affects the whole society. The original novel and the movie challenge us to question which perspective will help us solve the problem and create a more progressive society. The film softened the presentation of these issues, which appealed to a large number of male viewers, and played a role in expanding the awareness of the issues.
In 2020, ⟨A Bedsore⟩ by Shim Hye-jung, which tells the story of Su-ok, an undocumented migrant worker who takes care of her grandmother who is paralyzed by a stroke, continued the pulse of a social narrative by a woman director. Coincidentally, this was a time when COVID-19 increased the interest in socially essential work, including care work. The important thing about this story is that Su-ok is paid a meager salary and does all the household chores, from feeding to cleaning.
Why are some men unable to feed themselves? Why should women do all the care work? Is the compensation fair? In fact, in Korea, many elderly men don't know how to cook their own meals. Most of the housework and childcare that surged during the COVID-19 pandemic fell on women. In the process of preparing measures for the government, which was focused on anti-epidemic efforts, discussions on women's care work and essential work for the socially disadvantaged were often sidelined. Moreover, among the vulnerable groups, who are always the first to suffer when a disaster hits society, the unspeakable discrimination faced by migrant workers was not an exception even during the pandemic.
Produced in 19, before COVID-2019 hit, the film eventually became the most timely independent film of the year. It was a timely question about the problems that have become so common in Korean society that they have become numb. This was possible because she had a critical awareness of social issues from a woman's perspective.
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| Kim Ji-young ⟨Born 1982⟩ dealt with the discrimination faced by the protagonist who has to quit her job and dedicate herself to raising children and taking care of her family, which sparked a heated gender debate in Korean society.(c) Lotte Entertainment Co., Ltd. |
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⟨A Bedsore⟩, directed by Shim Hye-jung, explores the patriarchal views that shape the lives of migrant women who do care work and challenges us to appreciate the value of women's labor that is often ignored.(c) FILM DABIN |
Female narratives have gained a lot of popularity and influence, making the director's gender less relevant. Whether the director is a man or a woman, there is more interest and support for stories that feature the woman's POW.
Herstory
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| ⓒ NEW |
Director Min Kyu-dong (閔奎東) released the 2018 film ⟨Herstory⟩ based on the true story of the grandmothers of Comfort Women victims who fought against the Japanese judiciary between Busan and Shimonoseki from 1992 to 1998. It is the first significant case in the history of a trial involving comfort women victims, and the title "Herstory" reflects the director's determination to convey the pride of the victory that the women have won for themselves. In particular, the film formed a female fandom called "Herstorians," who enthusiastically supported the film by setting up their own theaters.
Three Sisters
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| (c) Studio Up |
One of the new gems of Korean cinema this year is director Lee Seung-won's "Three Sisters". The film follows the lives of three sisters who struggle with trauma and hardship, but find solace in their bond. The performances of the three actresses, Kim Sun-young, Moon So-ri, and Jang Yoon-ju, are stunning. Kim Sun-young won the Best Supporting Actress award, and Moon So-ri was nominated for Best Actress, at the 2021 Baeksang Arts Awards, one of the most prestigious film awards in the country.
Baseball Girl
"Baseball Girl" is a film by Choi Yun-tae that explores gender issues from the perspective of a "border" - a female player who wants to join a professional baseball league. The main character is the only girl on her high school baseball team, and she has a dream of playing baseball professionally. However, she faces discrimination and discouragement because of her gender. She refuses to give up, saying, "How can people know my future? I don't even know..."
Moonlit Winter
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Director Lim Dae-hyung's "Moonlit Winter" (2019) was the closing film of the 2019 Busan International Film Festival. It tells the story of a middle-aged woman who embarks on a journey with her daughter to rediscover her true self and her first love, a queer narrative that has rarely been seen before. The film received acclaim for its warm message and subtle direction and won several awards for Best Screenplay and Best Director. It was also invited to international film festivals, such as the Asian Prism section of the 22nd Taipei Film Festival. (c) LITTLEBIG PICTURES, FILM RUN
Door Lock
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| (c) MEGABOX JOONGANG, INC, PLUSM |
"Door Lock" is a thriller by Lee Kwon that reflects the reality of increasing violence against women who live alone. The plot revolves around a woman who lives in a studio apartment and finds her door lock tampered with one day after work. The film portrays a realistic horror that resonates with just about any woman's POV. It won the 'Thriller Award' at the 1th Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.
(Source / Song Hyeong-guk (宋亨國) Film Critic)
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