Be White. Live White. Like this.

“Listen carefully. Everyone make mistakes. But if you committed a sin, you have to make an atonement for that sin. Atonement, do you know what that means? Big Atonement for big sins. Small Atonement for small sins.”

I caught Sympathy for Lady Vengeance by Park Chan-wook (2005) a few years back and this easily became one of my favourite films. Starring Lee Young Ae who is famous for her role in the popular Korean drama Dae Jang Geum, I watched the film out of pure interest for Lee Young Ae’s performance (my family and I were fans of that drama during then), and indeed, she delivered her role in the movie with such a powerful concoction of emotions, it totally knocked me over.

Faith, have faith.

"I think we keep living with faith because we need it. Even atheists believe in something - in something else. Yet, I didn't want to make a movie about faith, really, but a reflection on what goes on inside us. Cinema is a great tool, a way to talk about the invisible through the visible." - Lee Chang Dong

Secret Sunshine by Lee Chang Dong (2007) chronicles a lady, Shin-ae, dealing with grief, anguish and her doubt of faith, the role being performed by one of my favourite Korean actress, Jeon Do-yeon. Life seems to be peaceful for Shin-ae after she moves to the town Miryang, but the kidnap and murder of her son plummeted her into depths of despair, agony, and even madness. To overcome her grief, she decides to pay a visit to the kidnapper with the intention to forgive him under the grace of God, yet feelings of betrayal overcame her when the kidnapper told her that God had already forgiven him.

Promise Of The Flesh

“If a man despises me and deceives me, I’ll never forgive him.”

Watching Promise of The Flesh by Kim Ki-Young (1975) was an uncomfortable experience. A story about a broken soul Sook-Young whose self-esteem is battered after encountering rape by a few men, she meets a thief, Hoon, on the train and a strange relationship blossoms between the two. Although Hoon manages to restore some humanity faith for Sook-Young and the two made a promise to meet after two years, there is little hope that Hoon would appear due to his arrest.

House by the Sea.

Il Mare by Hyun-Seung Lee (2000) is a very simple film dealing with a complex theory of time-travelling. Il Mare, a beautiful house along the seaside, houses the protagonists who are apart by two years, corresponding by sending letters through the magical mailbox.