24th(2022)
Opening Film (1) | Discovery (12) |
Asian Shorts (20) | I-Teens (6) |
New Currents (26) | The Landscape of Here in Now (5) |
Polemics (6) | Queer Rainbow (7) |
Feminist Collective (9) | The moments with Yeri HAN (10) |
Remembering Oblivion (4) | Restored (10) |
Film X Gender (2) | Barrier Free (1) |
Documentary Ock Rang (2) | Special Screening (1) |
In Memory of KANG Soo-yeon (1) |
YANG Yong-hi
As the title suggests, the film is roughly divided into two parts. In the first half, ¡°Soup¡± refers to samgyetang, although it has a very high proportion of garlic and the way it is mixed with rice or ramen separately is a bit unfamiliar. Its long cooking time and ¡°difficulty to eat elegantly¡± is repeatedly presented among three people of different nationalities: the director herself (South Korea), her mother (North Korea), and her husband (Japan). However, the intimacy is actually more focused between the mother and the husband. The mother and daughter sometimes ¡°fight over money¡± and the director confesses that ¡°mother was a pressure to me.¡± This conflict is due to ¡°ideology,¡± as introduced in detail in the director's previous films, however it is also precisely because she could not understand why her mother ¡°supports North Korea so much¡±. Thus, the second half of the film depicts the process in how the director "can't blame her mother anymore after knowing about 4.3" on a visit to Jeju Island. The process of understanding does not go through a direct explanation from the mother. Unfortunately, the mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer¡¯s and speaks significantly less compared to the first half. Instead, the camera focuses on capturing the director and mother in one frame. It is a part that makes us assume that a kind of transition between the two is based on understanding. Afterwards, the director receives a letter from his nephew living in North Korea and writes a long reply but fails to send it. It may be a random leap that does not fit the context, but I look forward to the day when the director and her nephew will be put into frame again. [LEE Yumi]
YANG Yong-hiYANG Yong-hi