I am by no means an expert in cinematography, but I find much pleasure in a visually appealing movie scene or in a well-crafted movie plot. I also find movies therapeutic. Many films have taught me about how different people deal with life's more difficult moments, and this has often been a source of comfort and reassurance for me. For these reasons, films are important to me.
In addition, when I lived in Ottawa, I had the privilege of living a few blocks away from the Bytowne, quite possibly the best independent cinema in all of Canada. Sometimes, I would head there in the late evening to catch a movie before going to bed. But most often, going to the Bytowne was a social occasion. I think it's fair to say that going to the Bytowne was almost a ritual for me and a few of my friends, a ritual to be repeated every few weeks, if possible. During my years in Ottawa, I must have seen nearly one hundred films at the Bytowne. The most notable of these include David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive", "Le confessional" by Québécois producer Robert Lepage, "No Country for Old Men" by Joel and Ethan Coen, as well as "Snow Cake", a film made in Wawa that very accurately captures the spirit of Northern Ontario, and "Man On Wire", a documentary about funambule Philippe Petit's most impressive exploit. Thanks to the Bytowne, I have developed an appreciation for unconventional films.
Since I moved to Busan, I have been missing the Bytowne. But thankfully, during the PIFF, five or six of Busan's cinemas were effectively transformed into Bytownes, and I had the opportunity to see a number of great films.
The first was a French-Belgian production called "Illégal", and it was very difficult to watch. It told the stories of a number of characters, mostly women and children, who were illegally residing in Belgium, and who the Belgian state attempted to deport. The film showed how poverty and violence in their home countries forced these people to migrate, and how they then endured violence and abuse in their destination countries as well, both at the hands of various unscrupulous individuals and at the hands of state officials. Unfortunately, migrants in many countries face these kinds of hardships.
The second was a Spanish film called "Muerte de un ciclista", or "Death of a Cyclist". It was shown as part of a series of films made in Spain during the Franco dictatorship. This film told the story of a couple, composed of two members of the Spanish bourgeoisie, who accidentally kill a cyclist one night while driving on an otherwise empty road in rural Spain. The couple left the scene of the accident, as they were having an affair and did not want to be found out. But they were then troubled by guilt and paranoia. In the end, the male half of the couple decided that he should come clean and confess that he was responsible for the death of the cyclist, but his lover, not wanting to lose her social privileges, killed him before he could do so. The creator of this film was clearly trying to show how the Spanish people's allegiance to the Franco dictatorship corrupted them. But I think it also spoke to the morality of people benefitting from power and privilege in all parts of the world.
The third film I saw during the PIFF was an interesting romantic drama called "Kites". The film was made by an Indian director, but the lead actress was Mexican and most of the story took place in the United States. True to its Bollywood roots, the film featured a number of dance scenes. And though I thought it was a little over-acted at times, I found it entertaining and original.
Finally, the fourth film I saw at the PIFF was a Canadian production called "À l'origine d'un cri", or "Crying Out". This film explored the dysfunctional relationships of three male members of a Québécois family, the son, the father and the grand-father. The action of the film was driven by the father. At the beginning of the film, his second wife had recently died, and he was unable to accept this. So, he stole her corpse from the graveyard and disappeared, prompting his relatives to ask his son and his father to go look for him. Most of the remainder of the film then centered around them as they journeyed though rural Québec trying to find the father. The film showed how, even though their relationship was highly dysfunctional, the three men cared about each other very much. And through the adventure that they lived together, they grew to know and understand each other better, and also to appreciate and forgive each other. In my not-so-humble opinion, "À l'origine d'un cri" is an excellent Canadian film. I was proud that this was one of a handful of Canadian entries in this year's PIFF, and I hope that many Canadians will see it. However, it is often the case that films like this one, though made in Canada, are not see by the majority of Canadians.
On a more general note, having attended the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) a few years ago, I was surprised at how affordable it was to see movies at the PIFF. General screening tickets cost 6000 Won, an amount approximately equivalent to only 30% of the minimum of 20 Canadian dollars one can expect to pay to see a movie at the TIFF. My only regret regarding this year's PIFF, and for this I apologize to my Korean friends, is that I did not see any Korean movies during the festival. Next year, I will take full advantage of the 16th edition of the PIFF to properly explore the East Asian cinematic repertoire.
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| PIFF plaza, in Nampo-dong, during this year's PIFF. |
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| The 2010 PIFF program, and PIFF tickets. |
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