A Mere Life
벌거숭이

  • Cast

    Kim Min-hyuk, Jang Liu, Jeon Yeong-woon, Jeong Min-joon, Jeong Jin-ok

  • Release Date

    2012

  • Runtime

    76 mins

This is what the Germans call a Trauerarbeit: a work born of infinite sadness. It shares characteristics with films by Bela Tarr, but still seems quintessentially Korean. Park Ilrae (whose name ironically means “change”) has a family but no prospects. He and his wife Han Yurim are estranged from their parents, so they have no-one to turn to for help with cash or with minding their son Yeongsu. She has a McJob in a crummy convenience store; he drinks too much and is one day swindled out of his meagre savings. In meticulous images and sounds which acknowledge a Buddhist perspective, the film explores Park’s karmic downfall.

Tony Rayns