파주(Paju)

파주
Before I give and in-depth description of this movie I have to say first that I am reviewing and commenting on this movie as an outsider, having never been to Paju, South Korea.
Upon first watching this movie it struck me as vague, that was the "feeling" I had, and that "feeling" lasted weeks before I was able to fully digest and comprehend the movie as a whole. What helped me grasp the movie in its entirety was learning about 파주시 (Paju the city) and it's role in actuality. I will elaborate: Paju is located in the Gyeonggi-Do province of South Korea and it closely borders North Korea; add to this Paju is a DMZ(demilitarized zone). I think this fact added to the relationship of North and South Korea lead to the essence of the movie and the characters.
Take the lead male character, Kim Joong-sik (김중식), he is a man that from the beginning of the movie is lost, not in the literal sense but in a figurative "spiritual" way. From the very beginning his current relationship ends in an abrupt manner, leading him to move to Paju. There, he lives with a relative, who is a minister (leads people, has direction), and becomes a teacher. At this point in the movie the view and the story shifts to portray two sisters, one in high school, who are struggling to survive. The viewer meets and sympathizes with their situations and their struggles when the older one marries Kim Joong-sik who happens to be the younger sister's teacher. The plot thickens, so to speak, when the older sister dies and the younger sister blames her husband, the male lead.
All this we receive in bits, as the story is shaped as it goes back and forward in time. What is most touching in the story is the human struggles portrayed, the girl not being able to forgive her brother in law, the brother in law in love with the girl, the town struggling not to loose its home-the building that is threatened to be demolished. Also, this story has a lolita-esque side to it with the love and hate relationship between the main character.
The faults of this movie is its failure for creating a connection between Kim Joong-sik and the audience, it was hard for me to understand and sympathize his plight, plus the overall plot was lacking in a more concrete direction. Yet, now that I know Paju's role as a city, I perceive that is the effect the movie is trying to emanate to its viewers: the essence of the city's past and it's affect in the residents. Overall this was a vague (I use this word loosely) movie that left a big impact on me, plus the cinematography is beautiful.
To purchase:
YesAsia
Ebay
If you want to watch before the movie gets to you, go here: vikii
Here is the trailer: