[HanCinema's Film Review] "Rosy Life" + Full Movie

The various "creatures of the night" have always been a rather interesting topic for cinema, with the misfits, the criminals, the lowlifes, and the people who work in bars, clubs etc, providing a rather intriguing material. Kim Hong-joon directs a film that focuses exactly on this kind of people, while also making a number of subtle political comments about the situation of the era, in a title that netted awards for Actress, Director and Screenplay from the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.

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A woman everybody calls simply Madam, runs an all night comic book store in Garibong-dong. Expectedly, the shop attracts all kinds of people, from ones who want to drink and play cards, to others who want to watch movies and read, to fugitives, local mobsters, and drunkards, all of which seem to be welcomed (for a price of course) to the establishment. Three of them, however, become the point of focus. Yoo-jin is an aspiring writer who has a thing for a nightclub dancer, Miss Oh. Gi-yeong, Madam's little brother is a labor agitator, and is hiding from the police. Lastly, Dong-pal is a gangster who is searching for Jangko, a former partner in crime who has killed a man and has pawned the murder to him. Eventually, Dong-pal falls in love with Madam, but his brute nature leads him into raping her one night, although eventually she succumbs to her lack of options during the deed. After the event, Madam expresses contempt toward him and ignores him, but he continues to chase after her, even misunderstanding her relationship with Gi-yeong. Eventually, the three men form a kind of friendship, although violence seems to be everywhere around them, including in their midst.

Kim Hong-joon directs a film of episodic nature, with the episodes coming together through the concept of the shop and the character of Madam, with the two elements being the only ones the three men have in common. At the same time, each of the men seems to have a clear narrative purpose. Dong-pal frequently gets involved in brawls that highlight the action direction here, Yoo-jin is the main source of romance and Gi-yeong of the political comments regarding the treatment of the working class by the then government. And while the characters individually and the events (with the exclusion of a relationship that starts with a rape, which unfortunately, is anything but uncommon in S. Korean cinema) are quite interesting and intriguing, the narrative as a whole falters occasionally, particularly after a point when it becomes hyperbolic, even to the point that it seems as an "excuse" for the various events that take place in the story.

On the other hand, the presentation of the lower depths of nightlife in Korea is interesting, particularly when the story gets outside the comic book store, with Park Seung-bae-I's cinematography capturing the time in the best fashion. Furthermore, the subtlety with which the political comments are presented, through the news on TV and a brief scene where the police are chasing some rioters, also works quite well for the narrative, adding much depth to the overall context. Park Soon-deok's editing connects the various episodes nicely, while inducing the movie with a relatively fast pace, that definitely works well in entertainment terms.

Regarding the acting, the one who shines the most here is Choi Myung-gil as Madam, with the way she treats her customers presenting a rather hard facade, which occasionally disappears completely, particularly through her interactions with her brother. The way she appears equally convincing as a tough owner, a desperate victim, and a woman in love, is among the best traits of the movie.

"Rosy Life" has its issues, especially regarding the story, but in general emerges as a rather entertaining film that can satisfy fans of action, drama, and political commentary in equal measure.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"Rosy Life" is directed by Kim Hong-joon, and features Choi Myung-gil, Choi Jae-sung, Cha Kwang-soo, Lee Ji-hyung-II, Hwang Mi-seon, Dong Bang-woo. Release date in Korea: 1994/08/06.