LAFF Report: My Mother and Her Guest (Sarangbang Sonnimgwa Eomeoni) Review

Film festivals thrive on the new, the exciting, the not-yet-known. But they can also shine a light on great films from the past that you never knew existed.

Far from a museum piece, Shin Sang-ok's My Mother and Her Guest (1961) bursts with energy, humor, unfulfilled longing, and masterful storytelling. Oak-hee, a child in a family of widows, cheerfully introduces in voice-over her stern Granny, her mother Jung-sook ("the prettiest woman in the world"), the maid Miss Sung (a huge appetite), and herself, whereupon she turns to the camera and says hello. That surprising moment is but the first in a series of unexpected turns.

More on the film after the jump, but here's what (and who) put it into context for me. My Mother and Her Guest was co-presented at the Los Angeles Film Festival by UCLA Film and Television Archive as part of a series entitled "LA International - 3 Los Angeles Filmmakers You Should Know." (Excellent UCLA notes here.) Program Curator Cheng-Sim Lim was on hand to introduce the film, as was Chung Chang-wha, Korean director of Hong Kong martial arts smash King Boxer (AKA Five Fingers of Death), a personal friend of Shin Sang-ok and a fellow apprentice director in South Korea.

Cheng-Sim Lum explained that Shin Sang-ok introduced innovations such as the zoom lens and synch sound to Korean cinema and was an incredibly influential director beginning in the 1950s. ScreenAnarchy's X wrote about the director after he passed away in April of this year, which article you can read here. They were in the process of deciding which film the director wanted to show in the series when he died. His wife, Choi Eun-hee, selected this one, in which she also stars as Jung-sook.

Chung Chang-wha spoke about his own start in the film industry. (Disclaimer: my notes are sadly incomplete, and Chung spoke through an interpreter, so I can't guarantee the accuracy of every statement). He wanted to make films, but there was no film school. He had to find and buy books and study them on his own.

On the other hand, Shin was a Film & Music School trainee and wanted to become an actor. He auditioned for a role, but the director suggested that, since he studied art in school, he should become an art director. From there Shin became an apprentice director. Chung asked, 'What if Shin had become an actor?' What would the film world have lost?

Chung said that all apprentice directors in South Korea at that time—late 1940s—were influenced by the cinema of Japan, France, or Hollywood. He himself was influenced by Hollywood, but Shin was influenced by Japanese filmmakers.

The Korean conflict began in 1950. Chung said that he tried to make a documentary about the war, but was not successful. Meanwhile, Shin completed his debut feature Akya (AKA Vicious Night or The Evil Night according to IMDB) as the conflict raged. Because only 12 theaters were available for screening during the war, Akya was not financially successful, but it was a considerable achievement to make a feature film during difficult times.

His next project was the "semi-documentary" Korea, which featured actress Choi Eun-hie. Shin and Choi became involved, and because one or both of them was married, a scandal broke out leading to divorce. It was a shock to the Korean public due to Confuscist beliefs, according to Chung, and Shin and Choi suffered many difficulties as a result. Chung admitted that his relationship with Shin was uncomfortable for two or three years, "then I opened my mind and renewed the friendship."

Despite all the personal travails Shin endured, he made a great contribution, Chung said, and he was "happy, thankful, and very proud" to have known him.

Back to the film...

Young Oak-hee is precocious to a fault, but her feelings of genuine love and affection for her mother and the other members of her extended family are readily apparent. Her open-hearted expressions stand in contrast to her mother, Jung-sook, who is constantly mindful, not only of the societal expectation that she reign in her emotions, but also her mother-in-law's example of remaining chaste after the death of her husband.

The household changes when a new boarder enters the picture. Mr. Han is an artist with quite a bit of free time to lavish attention on Oak-hee, whose father died before she was born. Though it's clear that Jung-sook is attracted to Mr. Han, both are hemmed in by circumstances beyond their control.

Another contrast is introduced in the romance between the maid, Miss Sung, and an egg salesman (as pictured in the still accompanying this article). Both lost their first mates, and both exercise far less self-control in the expression of their emotions and physical affections than Mr. Han and Jung-sook. The viewer can see both relationships and decide which is more satisfactory.

Choi Eun-hie is extraordinarily effective as Jung-sook. She is a true screen actress; the camera registers even the slightest change in her face as a shock wave, and as the ache of her unrequited love becomes more pronounced, it's more and more difficult to maintain eye contact with her—that's how much pain and loneliness she communicates through her eyes.

After 45 years, My Mother and Her Guest remains a distinctive and moving picture.

Festival atmosphere: The crowd may have been limited, but the response to the film was very good and positive. The introductions were a nice bonus, as was the varied free Korean buffet provided afterwards.