Mija (veteran actress Yun Jung-hee) is a beautiful woman in her sixties who
moves gracefully through life, contemplating a trivial daily routine that is
ill-suited to her refined persona. With warmth, elegance and a dash of
eccentricity, Mija takes care of her ungrateful grandson Wook (Lee David)
and makes a living by cleaning house for an elderly man who, though
paralyzed by a stroke, still responds to her charm with bouts of
drug-induced arousal. On a whim, Mija enrolls in a poetry class at the local
cultural center and begins a personal quest to find the perfect words to
describe her feelings. However, she’s plagued by the onset of Alzheimer’s
disease, and struggles with new vocabulary and the challenges of the
creative process. When her world is turned upside down by the discovery of a
monstrous crime, it is Mija’s unique and touching poetry that allows her to
continue to embrace life. A mysterious, redemptive, cathartic film. Written
and directed by Lee Chang-dong (Secret Sunshine, Oasis). (Fully subtitled)
“This is a warm, deftly made film that uses the humor and tenderness in Yoon’s performance to dramatize the artistic and emotional depths we don’t know we have.” - Boston Globe
Directed by Lee Chang-dong
Starring Yun Jung-hee, Lee David, Kim Hira, Ahn Nae-sang
South Korea/2010/140min/Not Rated
