LIST

영화 정보

Rainy Days

Special Programs in Focus

Family · Literature · War

CountryKorea
Production Year1979
Running Time114min
Format35mm
ColorCOLOR

Program Note

Where do you find hope after war? Director Yu Hyun-Mok, who explored the gap between war and industrialization in the film, Aimless Bullet, asks this question on the brink of the 1980s. When the relatives of Dong-Man′s mothe come to stay at their house after start of the war, problems develop between the two sides of the family. Dong-Man′s uncle on his father′s side has died on Palchi Mountain as a North sympathizer while his uncle on his mother′s side has died a South Korean soldier. In effect, his house becomes a site of turmoil. But in the chaos of the monsoon rains, new life blossoms. Direction and cinematography combine to present the beauty of the traditional Korean house and the symbolic atmosphere of the rain. A shaman ritual brings back the spirit of the dead uncle at Palchi Mountain in the form of a snake, representing human trust and human relationship with nature. This in turn symbolizes the strength in resolving the division of its people. (Lee Young-Kwan)

Director

YU Hyun-Mok

Yu Hyun-Mok is a film pioneer responsible for cultivating the aesthetics of Korean cinema who also had immense influence on other filmmakers. He directed 43 features including the classic An Aimless Bullet which many consider as the single greatest Korean film ever made. Born in 1925, Yu Hyun-Mok began his film career in 1955 with The Crossroad. Since then, he has pursued auteurism in the midst of a turbulent modern history and the barren nature of Korean cinema. His films represent a mirror which reflect Korea’s social reality in a critical manner, questioning society in the following manner: reality vs. existence in [An Aimless Bullet] (1961), religion vs. ideology in [Martyr] (1965) and [Rainy Days] (1979), and tradition vs. modern times in [Daughters of the Pharmacist Kim] (1963) and [Three Henpeck Generation] (1967). Yu Hyun-Mok has journeyed in search of human life. He also presents a unified aesthetic exploration of reality and ample experimentation in cinematic images. His latest project is 1995’s [Mommy, Star and Sea Anemone].

Credit