The Daily Trifecta, or my far east feast

OK three in a row is always an invitation into the abyss of the festival dark zone but that's what I did yesterday. But I topped it even better. 3 x films from the far east and 3 x films dealing with abuse of women. All of them too had a rape scene involving a women under the age of 18.
Harrowing!! Some had happy endings? Some had revenge and redemption. But unfortunately as I progressed through this bleak and dark journey the last one was just utterly hopeless.
Brilliant film but just a message with no hope.
There were that two of the films that were debut features and all three were really strong in story and production value.
So let me introduce the them.

Backwater 共喰い directed by Shinji Aoyama

Based on a novel by Shinya Tanaka, this film is set in a quiet riverside town, where 17-year-old Tooma lives with his father and his father’s lover. Tooma witnesses his father’s sadistic behavior towards his lover and soon finds himself following in his father’s footsteps. (http://letterboxd.com/film/the-backwater/)
It is very much through the actions of the women in this film, the women in Tooma's life that justice is served and wrongs are righted. There is a lot of brutality and the father just goes from bad to worse to utter areshole but his actions catalyse events to a climax that should have happened a long time ago.
In amongst the horror of the sadistic father and the will he, won't he of the son are some wonderfully humouress and poignant moments. Tooma's girlfriend is his godsend and she's a cracker of a character, not major but pivitol. The fathers girlfriend evolves nicely and powerfully too, artfully dodging what seems to be her lot. And mum is just a rock and comes through like all mums do.

                           A Girl At My Door 도희야 directed by July Jung

Produced by Lee Chang-Dong and staring Bae Doona, a real favourite actress. This is a debut feature for the director and she wields a pretty deft hand. There are some really quite major story holes in the film but they don't seem to matter because they take it to very interesting places and the themes that are explored are deep and dark. 
The opening scene with the motorcycling Ajumma (아줌마) is hilarious and just nails it but it's a sign because from then on she becomes darker and crueler until she is dealt brutal retribution. Bae Doona's character in her naivety is the innocent but compassionate one, even she is saved by the abused daughter. There are lots of twists & turns like this, in plot, expectations and visuals. Though at other times it teeters on the twee it is strong performances from the women that hold the film and take it to a greater place than the confrontation of what is happening in this quaint seaside village, soju monsters and all.





Han Gong-Ju 한공주 directed by Lee Su-Jin
A most brutal tale so beautifully told. This was the best of the three and another debut feature though its message was the one most hopeless. The way this story slowly reveals and the mystery unravels is just such artful filmmaking and second time around was just as delightful. I sorta wince when I say these words cause there is nothing delightful in Han Gong Ju's story despite her finding such moments in amongst her bleakness. The performances here are just great, the direction is deft and beyond expectation for first time and the narrative going back and forth is just a piece of perfection.
All three films turn a blind eye to the ugliness and violence of sexual and physical abuse until it reaches crisis but this film has no retribution, revenge or resolve. It's based on a true story and it feels like the reality. A must see film, really gutsy cinema from Lee Su-Jin and he's one to watch out for in the future.





 Not the happiest night out in the cinema from the point of view of subject lines and story but an absolute delight in terms of filmmaking, cinema and the big screen!