Well, this was not easy to track down on DVD but I finally found a copy of this via the Korean Lee Chang-Dong box set, which also includes the outstanding Oasis and brilliant Greenfish. All three movies are spectacularly good, in fact, I rated all three 10/10 but Peppermint Candy deserves 11/10 on that scale.
Technically the acting, direction, script, music, cinematography, etc were all exceptional, but the story itself was simply devastating.
Starting at the end with Yongho's suicide, the film then plays backwards over the last 20 years of his life showing how he got to the point of taking his life. It unravels the secrets of all aspects of his life, from career, family, relationships, his mistakes, his misfortunes. And it dies so in a shockingly ordinary way. There is no single incident that pushes him over the edge, but a build up of tensions and unresolved issues that gradually wear him down. Just like real life.
Quite simply this film is going straight into my all-time top ten, after one viewing. It is that good. If you get a chance to see this film - do so. It is simply Perfect!
I read that Lee Chang-dong is now the Cultural Minister for Sth Korea, which I'm sure is a great thing, but let's hope he goes back to directing at some point, as his 3 films so far are all exceptional, and a rare talent like his would be sorely missed if he does not come back to film making in the future.
Technically the acting, direction, script, music, cinematography, etc were all exceptional, but the story itself was simply devastating.
Starting at the end with Yongho's suicide, the film then plays backwards over the last 20 years of his life showing how he got to the point of taking his life. It unravels the secrets of all aspects of his life, from career, family, relationships, his mistakes, his misfortunes. And it dies so in a shockingly ordinary way. There is no single incident that pushes him over the edge, but a build up of tensions and unresolved issues that gradually wear him down. Just like real life.
Quite simply this film is going straight into my all-time top ten, after one viewing. It is that good. If you get a chance to see this film - do so. It is simply Perfect!
I read that Lee Chang-dong is now the Cultural Minister for Sth Korea, which I'm sure is a great thing, but let's hope he goes back to directing at some point, as his 3 films so far are all exceptional, and a rare talent like his would be sorely missed if he does not come back to film making in the future.