[무비스트=박꽃 기자]


DIRECTOR : SHIM Hye-jung
CAST : KIM Jong-gu, KANG Ae-sim, JEON Guk-hyang


A retired civil servant (KIM Jong-gu) suddenly declares his intention to get married-to none other than the immigrant live in caretaker (KANG Ae-sim) who has been looking after his bedridden wife (JEON Guk-hyang) for several years. His grown children are taken by surprise by this shocking announcement. Yet, they cannot possibly argue against their father who has been paying for the nursing fees from his own pension. Nor do they have the heart to kick out the caretaker who has worked so diligently without complaint. Above all, none of them is prepared to take full responsibility for their mother who recently developed a bedsore on her back. Aware of the situation, the elderly man is determined to go through with it. This story of one family in A Bedsore deals with the themes of death, aging and life that we are all bound to encounter Director SHIM Hye-jung previously explored a similar subject in The Camel and the Arab (2014), where she looked into her delicate relationship with the immigrant woman who had been taking care of her mother on her sickbed for 12 years "I didn't feel comfortable with her taking over my mother's house," she once explained. SHIM further expands her own feelings this time into a feature film. A Bedsore introduces a number of complex characters such as an elderly man who looks fine on the surface but is useless at domestic work, a middle-aged immigrant live-in caretaker who works energetically but feels anxious about her expired visa, and grown children who take a step back and walk a fine line between intervention and negligence.

Understanding our hidden desires

Gradually, we detect a moral flaw in every character. The elderly man plans to marry his resident caretaker despite his sick wife. This is partly because he hopes to renew the immigrant woman's visa so she can continue to take care of his wife. At the same time, however, he is drawn to the caretaker's lively energy that contrasts with the state of his dying wife. At one point, he leaves his bedridden wife alone in the house to secretly follow the caretaker on her day off. However, when he and the caretaker get into an argument, he ends up slapping her in the face. We can't help but be put off by the patriarch's selfish and violent behavior. Those around him also demonstrate shortcomings both big and small. As an illegal immigrant worker, the live- in caretaker maintains her "underdog" position in order to make a living, but on her days off, she takes clothes from the sick lady's wardrobe without permission and goes out to let her hair down. The man's daughter (KIM Do-young) often comes by, and although she knows what is going on, she doesn't actively intervene to improve the situation since she is not prepared to take on the responsibility. The eldest son (KIM Jae-rok), who runs a fruit store, and the second son, who is. in the USA, choose to stay out of it all. The eldest son's wife (KWON Mi-a) comes up with new suggestions at times, but she, too, remains a mere spectator. Ironically, while the characters are thus exposed, we come to understand them better. Based on her own experience of dealing with her mother's long struggle with illness, SHIM Hye-jung gazes at each character with warmth and empathy. Out of fear of death, the elderly man decides to abandon his wife and seek vitality. The caretaker constantly looks for better life regardless of the law. The children burdened with their own problems find excuses to turn a blind eye. It is not difficult to see our hidden desires in their faces. We understand why they behave so disappointingly in the midst of old age, death and life.


Long-standing and stable relationship

The biggest incident occurs towards the end of the film. The caretaker is taken into police custody and a fire breaks out in the house with only the elderly couple left in it. This is certainly a surprise ending. Who reported the illegal immigrant to the police? The film does not give any answers. What will happen to the elderly couple left in the house filled with smoke and what about their children? The film ends there, but the director expects that "things will be even tougher from now on." A Bedsore is about the anxiety that people feel when they are stuck in their positions for a long time and thus start rotting; the long standing and stale family relationships cannot be easily rearranged. These problems will haunt them for as long as they are alive. The moment we encounter A Bedsore, their concerns strike a chord with us since we all share the common destiny of old age and death. If you become so sick that you have to rely on others to feed you, or if your parents find themselves in that situation, how will you go on living? One thing is for sure nobody is exempt from such worries. Bedsore received both the Jury Prize and the INALCO Jury Grand Prize at the 26th Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema.


by Flora Got Park (MOVIST Reporter, Film Journalist)


이 기사는 영화진흥위원회가 발간하는 영문 잡지 '코리안 시네마 투데이' 부산국제영화제호(Vol.37)에 실렸습니다.

2020년 3월 13일 금요일 | 글_박꽃 기자(got.park@movist.com 무비스트)
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