POETRY is a subtle and lyrical slice-of-life (Part of Dallas International Film Festival)

            Poetry, the neo-realistic film from South Korea, left me feeling sorrowful for the central character, Mija (Jeong-hie Yun), who’s an elderly lady taking care of her only teenage grandson, who was abandoned by his biological mother. The lyrical and observant tale begins with a shot of a little school girl, dead, floating gracefully down a running river.

            Poetry is a subtle drama about guilt, redemption, justice, and discovering life’s simple beauties when you’re constantly surrounded by emotional pain, misery, and financial burdens. Korean actress, Jeong-hie Yun, gives a wonderful and quiet performance. The actress evokes more sentiments and humanistic details from her body language than the monotonous tone of her voice. She’s timid, passive, and most of all, lost. Throughout the narrative, we see the protagonist gradually empathize with the dead girl’s disturbing tragedy and past childhood existence. Mija enlists in a community poetry class and throughout her journey, finds a way to appreciate nature’s simple beauties, masking her sorrowful situation.

            The director utilizes frames-within-frame during some of the interior shots, which works as a recurrent visual motif. Before a provocative moment occurs, the camera remains stationed outside the room, giving the impression that this moment should be left as a secret. For example, in a disturbing sexual sequence, the camera lingers a short distance from a bathroom door and then suddenly, the door quietly closes, but the camera remains stationed, which builds tension for what’s about to happen.

            The steady pace in the film is deliberate; the filmmakers are capturing life as it is in a lower-class Korean neighborhood. Furthermore, there are moments where the grandmother picks up a fallen apricot on the sandy pathway or gazes at a flowing river, which shows the character’s appreciation for the details in each location. Through quiet and observant meditation, the grandmother finds poetry in life, not in her class.

            I had the great opportunity of seeing the film at the Dallas International Film Festival. After the screening, audience members gathered around, trying their best to describe the powerful, yet subtle emotional build-up. After watching Poetry and last year’s quirky mystery thriller, Mother (2010), I have grown quite fond of Korean cinema and will continue to lookout for up-and-coming Korean filmmakers.

***1/2 (out of four stars)