This is the first time watching a film by this director, Hong Sang Soo and frankly speaking, I didn't really like the film very much. Perhaps it was the theme of futility of life itself, perhaps it was also the film's comment on searching for love in the wrong places. I have watched many art films, but none like this that doesn't resonate with me at all.
Nonetheless, the cinematography is commendable, though not the film's strongest aspect. His storytelling is unobtrusive, almost like the classical hollywood style where content permeates form. This narrative propelled him to the art world.
The 4 main characters are intertwined and each is linked to another by random encounters or coincidence, or by romantic relationship.
Failed writer Dong-Woo is shamelessly in relationships with wedded woman Po-Kyung and young Jae-Min, whom he basically makes use of.
There is a great sense of alienation even as the characters are striving for intimacy with one another.
Character of Dong-Woo is highly detestable. He makes use of Jae-min, treating her terribly and yet asking her to write some of his work. We see Jae-min right from the start, but only after the film's half do we understand that she does odd jobs and there is more exposition about her.
He pushes people away, ultimately alienating himself, which is foreshadowed by showing a medium shot of him singing alone, even though he is actually in a room with his "acquaintances."
Wanting the best of both worlds, he claims to love Po-Kyung, who is already married and yet still continues his relationship with Jae-min.
His directing of the actors is good, thereby winning him the best director award at the 1996 Korean Blue Dragon Film Awards.
The theme of isolation pervades the whole film and even when he is physically with people, he is alienated and unliked by others around.
We can see his insecurities playing out in that he tries his best to latch onto people and things like his works, but these are futile attempts.
Dong-Woo is unsuccessful in his business attempts and this loneliness, being away from his wife and child ultimately leads to him turning to a prostitute, who spreads HIV to him.
Nobody really expects the man who claims to love Jae-Min (to an extent where it is rather obsessive) to end up being a pivotal point as to how the movie plays out.
This is a melodramatic part in the film where Po-Kyung has found out about her husband's contracting AIDS.
After revealing the deaths of 2 characters, Po-Kyung comes back once again to this shop and tramples on this, symbolic of her loss of faith in marital bliss and a happy family.
The film ends with Po-Kyung calling Hyo-Sub, telling him that she loves him, even though he has stood her up.
The sense of loneliness and ambiguity is apparent as she lays newspapers on the ground of a her living room and then looks pensively out of the window.
The characters are being developed in the film and the plot is unexpected, even disturbing. We follow each of them, focusing entirely on each of them, domestically concerned and complex, episodic. I feel like I have embarked on a voyage of discovery after finishing the film, about alienation, emotional vacuity and relationships.
References:
http://www.lovehkfilm.com/panasia/day_a_pig_fell_into_a_well.htm
http://koreanfilm.org/kfilm96.html
http://aufrecht.org/movie/movie?movie_id=10976
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781444305708.ch10/summary
http://bestforfilm.com/film-blog/cheat-sheet-hong-sangsoo/
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