Another View 2016 / So-tong-gwa Goe-jit-mal / South Korea 2015
One of the top Korean directorial debuts of the year, this meticulous character study focuses on a man and a woman trying to come to terms with hardship in differing extreme situations. While she is inclined towards excessive lies and behavior, he withdraws into himself. The lead actress’s exceptional performance was deservedly awarded at the Busan IFF.
A long shot of a confrontation: Sun, a cleaning woman at a private academy, is being reprimanded by her superior for her promiscuous behaviour – even this very first scene reveals that Communication & Lies is an unusual and carefully crafted directorial debut. The non-linear narrative slowly brings Sun closer to professor Kim. Both hide an unhappy past behind a thin veil of lies and minimal communication. Will they ever overcome this hobbled reality, or will they forever be locked into the excessive behaviour through which they hide their inner sorrows? An insightful study of two psychologically unstable individuals and a portrait of a Korean society too conservative to accept them. The black-and-white camerawork gives the scenes a disarming sense of immediacy but never detracts from the authentic acting. Jang Sun captured Best Actress at Busan for the exceptionally powerful yet nuanced depiction of her character’s complicated personality.
Hubert Poul
104 min / Black & white, DCP
Director Lee Seung-won
/ Screenplay Lee Seung-won
/ Dir. of Photography Ji Seung-woo
/ Editor Choi Yong-woon
/ Producer Kim Sang-su
/ Production Surplus Project
/ Cast Jang Sun, Kim Kwon-hoo, Kim Sun-young
/ Sales M-Line Distribution
Lee Seung-won is a filmmaker who also writes and directs for the theatre: he helmed the plays Truthiness and Moral Family, and also wrote Monster. His short film Contradictions (2005) was shown as part of the Critics’ Week at the Jeonju International Film Festival, and several of his screenplays have been turned into feature-length films. His feature debut Communication & Lies (2015) won two awards at its world premiere at the Busan IFF. It was subsequently shown at Rotterdam, where it competed in the Bright Future section, and also at the festival in Buenos Aires.
M-Line Distribution
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