Chihwaseon

The film is inspired by the life of the brilliant Korean painter Jang Seung-up “Ohwona” (1843-1897). The year is 1850. Celebrated scholar Kim Byung-moon saves the young beggar-boy Jang Seung-up from a violent gang who try to kill him. The boy attempts to explain to him in a drawing why they attacked him. Kim is enchanted by his artistic talent but the boy disappears from his life for a full five years. One day they both meet by chance and form a life-long friendship. Seung-up has meanwhile become a well-known painter who, however, feels wretched in this caste society since, thanks to his low origins, he is unable to form a relationship with the sister of a noble official. Seung-up drowns his frustrations and anxieties in alcohol, but despite this – or perhaps because of it – he continues to produce one beautiful art work after another. A second woman crosses his path – the beautiful courtesan Mae-hyang who gradually becomes some kind of forever elusive yet omnipresent muse. The artist’s life is also affected by the revolutionary political events and the advent of the Korean reformist movement recognised by Seung-up’s patron and friend Kim. Actor Choi Min-sik portrays the brilliant artist with remarkable distinction and succeeds in capturing the fine nuances of the painter’s complex personality. The film garnered legendary Korean director Im Kwon-taek a shared Best Director Award at this year´s Cannes IFF.