Cinema: Oechul (April Snow) (2005)
While introducing the (almost) world premiere of April Snow (it had opened two days previous in its native South Korea), director Hur Jin-ho warned us (through a translator) that it was “a little bit slow, so hopefully you don’t get bored”. He was right, but in no way is this a complaint! This is a subtley told story about how love can both hurt us and heal us. The premise: A man gets a phone call while at work and rushes to the hospital, where his wife is in a coma after a bad car accident. Also there is a woman, and we learn that she is there because her husband was in the same accident… in the same car. While gathering their spouses’ belongings, it is unmistakingly evident that their respective partners were lovers. The film is about how these characters face their shared situation, and the relationship that develops between them.
The dialogue was sparce, but that didn’t hinder these characters from being totally believeable and affecting. The actors’ body language and facial expressions communicated more than words could have. They exuded a brilliant blend of love, hope, sadness, compassion, anger, resentment and relief.
The film was very pleasing to look at: nice perspectives, sensitive photography, warm textures. It felt very intimate. There was a good combination of close and far shots. The music was very pretty and complimented the various moods. I think it’s safe to say that although I may not watch it a second time, I loved it.
Hur Jin-ho is a relatively well-known director from South Korea - there were plenty of excited Korean women in the Paramount, that’s for sure. Then again, after a few minutes of Googling, I decided that perhaps they were hoping that the actor who played the film’s protagonist, Yong-jun Bae was going to be there, instead. He is a huge Asian celebrity, who made his star in a Korean soap opera. It’s interesting to watch these movies and then find out that their stars are incredibly huge in another part of the world. It definitely puts a different perspective on things, as so many people in North America go to movies just for the stars. Is it possible, then, that some of “our” superstars are actually good actors, too, just like Yong-jun Bae? Would Korean movie-goers be of the opinion that Gwenyth Paltrow is a good actress? How about John Travolta? I certainly hope that they have better taste than we do!
