Han Gong-Ju (2013) Here’s to the Next Generation of Korean Cinema! (Review)

The Korean New Wave was defined by 3 directors, Kim Jee-Woon, Park Chan-Wook, and Bong Joon-Ho. With them being courted to foreign climes the international stature has seen Korean cinema relegated from the status as the “cool new thing” it used to be. As sad as that it is, it has taken the pressure off the hunt for big new names allowing them to grow without pressure. I often reference Bleak Night as an icon of these terms. Serendipitously, there is a new champion that also happens to be about High Schools too, and a directorial début, only this time it’s with teenage girls. That film is Han Gong Gong-Ju, which has impressed people the world over; paid testament with the Third Window release sporting a box quote from Martin Scorsese.

Chun Woo-Hee is Han Gong-Ju, a teenage high school girl who is moved to pastures new, away from everybody she ever knew. That’s all that can really be said, Lee Su-Jin has crafted a labyrinthine mystery that has to be experienced with absolutely no knowledge beforehand. The devil of Han Gong-Ju is in detail. The structural narrative unfolds with scant regard for linearity, one scene will unfold in the present day with the next opting to dive into the history of the character, even then its narrative will often unsheathe itself of that formula leaving you lost in the haze of where a scene fits in the timeline.

Director/Writer Lee Su-Jin isn’t composing this way as a means to confuse or shock the audience into submission, that is just a happy coincidence. Instead, the composition shows supreme talent and confidence. To muddle the linearity, the writer/director is presenting the viewer with information to unpack at their own will. As a mystery, there can be no accusations of hand-holding. Not only is that one of the key accomplishments, but the tonal work also stands out. The quiet of his characters and world establishes this story within a relatable reality of normal, everyday suburban life and the difficulties of fitting in at a new school. The only clue that something has happened is within the scenes set at a police station and the titular character being moved to a new home and school.

There’s a quiet, contemplative tranquillity to much of the film. And that is just as true in the use of music, with there being small moments of beauty and tenderness as Han Gong-Ju bears her soul through playing music. Chun Woo-Hee strums the guitar and sings beautifully throughout, and, as one of her classmate’s remarks, you cannot sing like that unless you have some darkness in your past.

When the shocking revelation is eventually revealed it is well within the boundaries of realism. Many films have plumbed such issues across countless genres before, the potency doesn’t come from what happens but the way it happens. Han Gong-Ju or her classmates don’t do a thing wrong, it’s the world that surrounds them. Take classmate Eun-Hee (adorably played by Jung In-Sun), she only wants the best for her new friend, even when Gong-Ju wants nothing to do with her. She wants to welcome this new friend, but that the titular character can’t afford it because of what happened to her. Because of what happened to Han Gong-ju she can’t let her defences down, all we know is that to her adults are the enemy.

The subtexts that the film delves into are yet more proof that having some separation from the superstars of the Korean New Wave is providing new young talent with the greatest of platforms and freedoms. Lee Su-Jin satirises the sense of privilege inherent in the Korean middle classes, to say anything more of the targets the direct has in his sights would be straying a bit too close to spoiler territory.

An intelligent film in which the camera has been used to perfection to evoke the loss of innocence in the anonymous milieu of the suburbs. Even with the rarefied reception, the film received prior to release, socks were well and truly knocked off. A superbly affecting, confidently pieced together début that shows the world that Korean cinema is just as intelligent, smartly directed and vital as it was in the safe hands of its big names. Here’s to the next generation.

Thanks for reading our review of Han Gong-Ju

For more Movie talk, check out our podcast CINEMA ECLECTICA Han Gong-ju featured on Episode 12