Film: Peppermint Candy
Release date: 26th April 2010
Release date: 26th April 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 130 mins
Director: Lee Chang-dong
Starring: Kim Yeo-jin, Sol Kyung-gu, Moon So-ri Genre: Drama
Studio: Third Window
Format: DVD
Country: South Korea
A tale of a broken man in South Korea on the brink of suicide is hardly the premise for a life affirming affair, but there’s good reason why Peppermint Candy enjoyed critical and award success prior to its UK release.
Peppermint Candy tracks the story of Kim Yong-ho (Sol Kyung-gu), starting with the twentieth anniversary meeting of a group of home town school friends and moving back through time, taking in his estranged wife, daughter and dog, and squalid living conditions to his time as a successful business man, his career as a policeman, a stint of military service – before we end up right back to his childhood.
Bringing together all the elements of Kim’s life, as we pass backwards through it, shows his creation and destruction as a man, introducing his past loves, and revealing the depth of his character…
Peppermint Candy is meticulously planned and perfectly constructed. Its non-linear approach to the story of Kim Yong-ho’s demise is truly justified. It flows along sewing small seeds that can seem as insignificant asides at the time, but through revealing his past to the audience they have much more importance than you first expected. This allows the film to have a natural and un-contrived approach to each individual scene. It doesn't need to go into the details that would detract from the atmosphere, yet avoids leaving the audience dissatisfied with plot gaps or questions.
Playing the story out over twenty years of Kim’s life draws it into a different league of the likes of Gaspar Noés’ Irreversible or Alejandro González Iñárritus 21 Grams. Irreversible, acting out a single day’s events in reverse, scene by scene, is a wild ride, forever maintaining a sense of disorientation to its disturbing subject matter. Peppermint Candy moves on a much calmer, reserved journey, but with just as affective an impact as Irreversible.
With such a widely spanned time-scale, it would be easy for the story to lose its way. It is formed in chapters, each a skip back in time, and as a result it would be very hard to keep a solid continuity throughout. Instead, though, Peppermint Candy is an incredibly self-aware film – mindful of what has just happened, and what is to come.
Essentially showing the forming of a man’s personality through key events, Lee Chang-dong creates a wonderfully rounded and multi-dimensional character. For most of the film, Kim is not a likeable character. Short tempered, mean spirited and cold - he is a bully, an adulterer and violent drunk. Lee really challenges the audience to consider how they judge personality, for every trait there is a cause, and he considers this very carefully throughout. Kim also has a leg injury throughout, the cause of which is only explained very late in the day, but is a great physical example of the psychological injuries and scars Kim carries.
With controlled and well rounded performances from the whole cast, cinematography that sits so naturally, and draws the audience, and editing that never takes charge over the substance on screen, Peppermint Candy is a triumph of cinematic storytelling. It opens with a macabre sense of humour that twists to a dark disturbing drama in the blink of an eye, and it will have you welling up on a number of occasions.
Challenging the audience to think about how they judge people around them, as well as challenging social and political constitutions, Peppermint Candy is a film that will make you care. JP
Peppermint Candy tracks the story of Kim Yong-ho (Sol Kyung-gu), starting with the twentieth anniversary meeting of a group of home town school friends and moving back through time, taking in his estranged wife, daughter and dog, and squalid living conditions to his time as a successful business man, his career as a policeman, a stint of military service – before we end up right back to his childhood.
Bringing together all the elements of Kim’s life, as we pass backwards through it, shows his creation and destruction as a man, introducing his past loves, and revealing the depth of his character…
Peppermint Candy is meticulously planned and perfectly constructed. Its non-linear approach to the story of Kim Yong-ho’s demise is truly justified. It flows along sewing small seeds that can seem as insignificant asides at the time, but through revealing his past to the audience they have much more importance than you first expected. This allows the film to have a natural and un-contrived approach to each individual scene. It doesn't need to go into the details that would detract from the atmosphere, yet avoids leaving the audience dissatisfied with plot gaps or questions.
Playing the story out over twenty years of Kim’s life draws it into a different league of the likes of Gaspar Noés’ Irreversible or Alejandro González Iñárritus 21 Grams. Irreversible, acting out a single day’s events in reverse, scene by scene, is a wild ride, forever maintaining a sense of disorientation to its disturbing subject matter. Peppermint Candy moves on a much calmer, reserved journey, but with just as affective an impact as Irreversible.
With such a widely spanned time-scale, it would be easy for the story to lose its way. It is formed in chapters, each a skip back in time, and as a result it would be very hard to keep a solid continuity throughout. Instead, though, Peppermint Candy is an incredibly self-aware film – mindful of what has just happened, and what is to come.
Essentially showing the forming of a man’s personality through key events, Lee Chang-dong creates a wonderfully rounded and multi-dimensional character. For most of the film, Kim is not a likeable character. Short tempered, mean spirited and cold - he is a bully, an adulterer and violent drunk. Lee really challenges the audience to consider how they judge personality, for every trait there is a cause, and he considers this very carefully throughout. Kim also has a leg injury throughout, the cause of which is only explained very late in the day, but is a great physical example of the psychological injuries and scars Kim carries.
With controlled and well rounded performances from the whole cast, cinematography that sits so naturally, and draws the audience, and editing that never takes charge over the substance on screen, Peppermint Candy is a triumph of cinematic storytelling. It opens with a macabre sense of humour that twists to a dark disturbing drama in the blink of an eye, and it will have you welling up on a number of occasions.
Challenging the audience to think about how they judge people around them, as well as challenging social and political constitutions, Peppermint Candy is a film that will make you care. JP
an excellent film, better than oasis
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw this at a festival nearly ten years ago, a lot of folk didn't get it, but this is magnificent. Very cleverly pieced together, and with the kind of emotional power that leaves you drained after watching. Thanks for the reminder. I must watch it again.
ReplyDeleteIf you enjoy this I'd recommend Secret Sunshine and Oasis, again both deal with mental issues and again both feature powerhouse lead performances - Jeon Do-yeon in Secret and the same leading couple from Peppermint Candy in Oasis. If this was an American director and his films were in English he'd be lauded as a contemporary great. A masterful storyteller, tackling issues other directors are too scared to go near, who brings out startling performances from his cast.
ReplyDeletebrutal stuff but undeniably compelling. my favourite film of 2010
ReplyDeleteGood film but definitely not a classic. Too heavy going and mid-paced even if it's extremely well acted and believable
ReplyDelete