Realism in Lim Soon Rye's Movies

KIm1
Hyun Jung Kim
Professor Cronin
Film History II (Wednesday 12:00-2:50)
10 April 2012 Realism in Lim Soon Rye 's movies Lim Soon Rye is a well known movie director in South Korea. Lim was born in 1960 in Korea She studied English Literature at Han Yang University in Korea in 1985 and earned a Associate Degree in Film at Université Paris-VIII in France in 1992. To understand the prominent influence of Korean Realism and Italian Neorealism in Lim 's movies, understanding of early Korean film history is essential. Korean Realism is established under special situation of Korea. South Korea was under the control of Japanese government for a long time and this brings a Nationalism Realism into a popular movie genre in Korean film industry in the 1930s and 40s. This trend continues and expands as Korea is freed from the rule of Japanese imperialism in 1945. The Korean government enforces the regulation that incorporates 71 film companies to 16, which happens for the first time in Korean film history. Also the government allows film makers to import foreign films as long as the film maker is producing local Korean films trying to protect local film business and control the film industry under Korean government 's power. This effort accelerates the development of Korean film industry and production of movies that are largely influenced by foreign films. The 1990s is called "Renaissance of Korean film" with emergence of the democratic government of Roh Tae Woo which leads to re-emergence of realism movies that were regulated and censored under military regime in the 1970s. One of the prominent features of Lim 's movies is an influence of Italian Neorealism. Neorealism is "a developed concept to reveal the value that realism," which exists during the Italian art history, seeks which is portraying the reality and the fact to show irony in reality (Jung 103). In other words, characteristics of Italian Neorealism are re-interpreted under the specific social and historical situations of Italian realism history. Likewise, the Korean realism movies emerged under specific historical context and are similar to Italian Neorealism movies in that both of them develop and change as their society changes. In addition, Korean realism movies in the 1990s actively reflect the social situation of 90s and are different than traditional realism movies. Lim 's movies who appeared in the 90s show the heavy influence of Italian Neorealism. The cornerstone of Neorealism contributes to "Verismo" by Giovanni Berga and "Sperduti nel Buio(1914)" by Nino Martoglio. "Verismo" describes historical and social situations of Italian literature and films after the World War II and becomes the important basis for Neorealism. Italian Neorealism movies refers to a series of movies produced in Italy from 1945 to 1954. This series of movies explicitly describes the tragic reality of Italy after the war, uses amateur actors rather than star actors as shown in "Rome, Open City (1945) by Roberto Rossellini, prefers location shooting to indoor shooting with set as shown in "The Bicycle Thief (1947)" by Vittorio De Sica, uses natural lightings, shows detailed psychological portrait of main and sub characters. Neorealism movies report the horrible and unjust reality such as war, poverty, unemployment, and social conflicts. Through these themes, directors of Neorealism movies show the true reality in their movies contrariety to traditional movies. This explains the fundamental spirit of Neorealism; a film should find its own function and feature in its society and it should "meet its audience through the audience 's reality they are living in" (Hayward 67). These features of Neorealism are dissolved in Lim 's movies in aspects of the background, subject, and form. When the World War II ends, Italian movie directors start to realize and notice problems that were under the surface during the Facist regime for 20 years. This realization sets up the Neorealism background and style. Similarly, with the establishment of democracy, Korean society starts to reveal problems that were not shown under the military dictatorship government for 30 years. The disclosure of the truth sets up the background and subject of Lim 's film ideology. When Italian Neorealism shows a destroyed Italian society after war, Lim 's "Three Friends (1996)" and "Waikiki Brothers (2001)" show how Korean society changes through democracy and IMF wave but still has residues of authoritative elements from the past under military regime. Lim criticizes the reality showing people 's misery and pain within such society in Neorealism styles such as amateur actors, location shooting, and unique camera techniques. In "Three Friends" three main characters Moo So Sok, Som Seh, and Sam Gyup all did not go to college to pursue what they really want to do. All of them, however, have difficulty fitting in society because of that. Society and even their own family do not understand these three friends. Also, scenes where Moo and Som are abused by high school teachers and upper level soldiers in the army reflect that Korea society is still not free from military regime influence although the political situation has been changed and it is not under military regime anymore. Som, who is homosexual and sensitive, is continuously bullied and mentally disrupted. This set up criticizes the Korean society where a strong manly figure is required for all men regardless of their personality or sexual preference. In this movie Lim reports a standardized education, unjust and violent military system and social prejudice and discrimination against the uneducated and a sexual minority. Besides the theme that reports the reality, Lim 's films have a few other Italin Neorealism features. In both of her representative films "Three Friends" and "Waikiki Brothers" Lim casts non-professional actors such as a college student of an underground band singer or amateurs who have never been filmed before. The audience can see these ordinary people everyday on the street, at school, and next to its houses. This enhances the reality of a film and enables the audience to see the true reality instead of focusing on the actors, thus easily brings in empathy between the audience and main characters. Then the audience feels and reflects their own suffering and pain from the reality In addition, "Three Friends" is made with all location shootings. Lim says, "Having all location shootings is actually a silly and inefficient way. Lots of money would have been saved too if we had a set shooting. I don 't like the set shooting though because it is fake." (Roh 51) Location shooting intensifies the realistic features of a film since these places shown in the film like cheap chinese restaurant, outdoor playground, flower shop, traditional outdoor market, old salon actually exist in our reality. Lim tries to show that where we live in is where our reality is and show the problems that are there. When watching Lim Soon Rye 's films for the first time, they all seem depressing and sad. There seems no hope for whoever the main character is, the society described in the film is brutally realistic and cold. This cruel society, however, is where we live in, where we are hurt, and where we heal. To heal wounds, it is only possible when we face the true reality and see what is hurting us. Through her movies, Lim insists the society might be cold and depressing but we have to face and confront it to make a better world for ourselves.

Work Cited Page
Hayward, Susan. Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts. 3rd ed. Routledge, 2006. Print.
Jung, Tae Soo. The Unification of the Reality and Expression; Italian Neorealism(1942~1955). Korean Movie Education Society. 2005. Print.
Roh, Hee Jung. Analysis of Realism in the movie . Seo Kang University Press.1997. Print.

Cited: Page Hayward, Susan. Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts. 3rd ed. Routledge, 2006. Print. Jung, Tae Soo. The Unification of the Reality and Expression; Italian Neorealism(1942~1955). Korean Movie Education Society. 2005. Print. Roh, Hee Jung. Analysis of Realism in the movie . Seo Kang University Press.1997. Print.