Archive of films Good Lawyer's Wife / Baramnan Gajok

South Korea
2003, 104 min

Section: Horizons
Year: 2004

Although Hojung lives comfortably on her lawyer husband’s salary she is far from content. She takes care of her seven-year-old adoptive son, doesn’t get along with her in-laws, and her husband is cheating on her. Sexual frustration forces her into the arms of a teenage boy from the neighbourhood until tragedy painfully impacts the family.

Synopsis

A former Korean dancer named Hojung remains at home after getting married, but lately she´s been feeling extremely unhappy. She is responsible for the household and all those in it: Sooin, her seven-year-old adopted son; her eccentric, over-imbibing father-in-law; and her mother-in-law, who in no uncertain terms lets Sooin know that he´s not her real grandson. Her husband, Youngjak, is a well-situated lawyer and, while at first glace it seems that his family hasn´t got any problems, in reality they´re going through a real crisis. Without resorting to false sentiment, the film tells of lost middle-class illusions and the decline of traditional family values in today´s Korea and is remarkable not only for the frank look at the heroes´ sexual frustration, but also for the performance of Moon So-ri, who won Best Actress at Venice 2002 for her role in the film Oasis. "You´ll find the invisible wall which divides the family and alienates its members, all over the world" says actress Moon So-ri who plays Hojung, "thus viewers will symphatise with the characters".

About the director

Im Sang-soo (b. 1962, Seoul) is the son of a leading Korean film critic of the 1980s. He first graduated in sociology then continued on to the Korean Film Academy. At the same time he gained experience as an assistant director. His film debut, Girls´ Night Out (1988), focused on three women and their active sex lives; for this project the director also wrote the script, as he did for Tears (2001). A Good Lawyer´s Wife is his third feature effort. ´Hojung and Youngjak are part of what´s known as Korea´s 386 generation - in their 30s, entered college in the 80s, born in the 60s,´ the director said. ´They became the new upper middle class with material wealth that was not available to previous generations. But the problem is that Korea received only a general knowledge of democracy and feminism and people can´t quite put these theories into real practice. Many of the 386 generation try to live full and happy lives but there is this difficulty in mixing what they think is freedom and putting into practice their new roles.´

Contacts

Myung Films
10-12 Haehva-Dong, Jongro-Gu, 110 530, Seoul
Korea (Republic of)
Tel: +82 2 367 212 02
Fax: +82 2 367 327 44
E-mail: [email protected]

E Pictures
10-12 Haehva-Dong, Jongro-Gu, 110-530, Seoul
Korea (Republic of)
Tel: +82 2 367 325 45
Fax: +82 2 367 325 44
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.ep-korea.com

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About the film

Color, 35 mm

Section:	Horizons

Director:	Im Sang-soo
Screenplay:	Im Sang-soo
Dir. of Photography:	Kim Wooh-yung
Music:	Kim Hong-jeab
Editor:	Lee Eun-soo
Producer:	Shim Bo-kyung, Shin Chul
Production:	Myung Films
Cast:	Moon So-ri, Hwang Jeong-min, Yun Yeo-jeong, Kim In-mun, Bong Tae-gyu
Contact:	Myung Films, E Pictures

www:	www.baramnan.com