[HanCinema Report] JIFF: Day Six

The festival has started to wind down- guest visits are becoming more infrequent, and many directors, actors and jury members who were here for the first few days have already left. There are far fewer musical performances, and even the press atmosphere has diminished a fair amount. Aside from that, today's films were not, I would say, of a high interest.

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The only feature I saw today was a documentary, "Talking Architect, City:Hall", about the beleagured construction schedule, delays, and architectural design snafus that made up the construction of the new Seoul City Hall, which finished last year. Walking in, I expected a dense documentary about the ins and outs of architecture. That's pretty much exactly what it is. For someone with a strong interest in architecture, bureauocracies, or Seoul's new City Hall building, there's plenty of material here. But there's very little to incite much interest in anyone else.

Later was a succession of nine short films. The first three, a part of the Korean Cinemascape series, dealt with a wide range of topics. In Timing, a woman undergoes a a drastic life style changes. In The Woman, a woman who has already undergone a drastic lifestyle change sometime in the past is confronted with the prospect of her dying mother. Then in Mr. Vertigo, a bored teenager learns about the secret art of flying. All three films are very well-made, but as I have no idea if or when they'll be available in English, there's little point in describing them in great detail.

The final set of the night were six short films being screened for the JIFF short film contest. For the first two, I was honestly a little worried that I had accidentally stepped into the World Cinemascape by accident. Neither of the films took place in Korea, they only tangentially involved Koreans, and were so incredibly abstract that I doubt they'll have much audience beyond the art house crowd.

The other films were much more easy to identify with. In The Sound of Rain, elementary school girls look completely adorable as they sulk in uncertainty about the relationship they have with their often-working father. Late Summer in 1984 deals with an older boy who, growing up under the dictatorship of Chun Doo-Hwan, has a decidedly warped view of good and evil, since he has little actual contact with the government that makes him pledge allegiance and the Communists who are out to destroy Korea. The final film of the night, The Wish, is an unsettling middle school horror film with such effective attention that a mere offhand look from the lead actress is enough to send shivers down the spine.

There was one film that I received as a gift DVD tonight- My Sweet Home, by Jung Seoung-Oh. It's a story about transition as a young high school senior becomes increasingly agitated at his home life. In the future I may be able to bring this film, at least, to a wider audience- but for now I don't lack the capabilities necessary for such a task.

Report by William Schwartz