SYDNEY 10 August- A low hum of chatter fills the air as people of all different ages and races shuffle to their seats. As people fiddle around with their belongings, the lights dim and a unified shush is heard as everyone turns their attention to the screen.
This year marks the 7th Year of the annual Korean Film Festival in Australia (or KOFFIA), created to showcase some of the best and latest films in Korean cinemas. K-Music had the privilege of attending the opening gala, comprising of the opening movie 4등 (4th Place) at EVENT cinemas George Street, followed by a Q & A session with the Director Jung Ji Woo and actress Lee Hang Na afterwards at the Korean Cultural Centre.
4등 (4th Place) follows the story of Joon-ho, a young talented swimmer, who always finishes in 4th Place. His mother, frustrated, decides to hire a swimming coach, Gwang-su- once a gifted swimmer who struggled with a drinking and gambling problem- in order for Joon-ho to improve, and the disillusioned coach begins to train Joon-ho the only way he knows how; through using physical violence.
While the premise of the film doesn’t sound particularly thrilling, the film itself is incredibly moving and riveting. Director Jung Ji-Woo works hard on keeping the audience engrossed throughout the entire film, commenting on the nature of society, specifically Korean society in many different scenes and ways. The cinematography is spectacularly done, integrating and weaving scenes together seamlessly and beautifully that it feels almost poetic, and each character is explored and developed so brilliantly to create a complex masterpiece.
The Q & A session after, taking place at the Korean Cultural Centre Sydney, gave the audience time to get to know the director as well as the actress Lee Hang-na, who played Joon-ho’s mother. Sitting down with the audience, Jung explained how his motivation for centering the film around swimming came from the idea that you don’t see the tears and sweat of swimmers in the water. This idea of hard work is very prominent in and around Korean culture, and Jung manages to expose this in his film extremely well. So well in fact, that the rawness of the exposure of the glorification around winning over leisure and enjoyment is the reason why 4등 did not do very well, despite the Human Rights Commission Korea (who commissioned this film) expecting it to be extremely successful. The film, which portray’s Joon-ho’s mother as a mother willing to do anything to get Joon-ho to win, including watching him get beat up and tortured, hit too close for home for some, and as it was seen to be exposing too much of the reality of society, this led to a general uncomfortable feeling among potential viewers.
As the night began to wrap up, a question of what was the moral message of the film was asked, and Jung, taking his time to think and contemplate, told the audience of how he had seen and discussed many interpretations of the ending; some believed that we should always be first place, some believed that we should be content in fourth place. However, from his perspective, it was not a matter of what place you achieve, but how you achieve it. Just as Joon-ho finished his race using his own methods and goals instead of Gwang-su’s, we should go about life using our own methods and goals instead of someone else’s.
Ending the night with a few last words, Jung teased us with a new film he is working on alongside Choi Min-sik, known for his roles in The Admiral as well as Hollywood blockbuster Lucy. The two have worked together in the past in the film Happy End, and after watching Jung’s work tonight, this collaboration is definitely something to be excited about!
For more information on when KOFFIA will be at your city, as well as more information on the festival itself, visit http://www.koffia.com.au/
- Excited
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Bored
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- Angry
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