2006 ROUNDUP: LADY VENGEANCE (Chan-wook)
"Living without hate for people is almost impossible. There is nothing wrong with fantasizing about revenge. You can have that feeling. You just shouldn't act on it."
--Park Chan-Wook
LADY VENGEANCE completes the loose "revenge trilogy" which Chan-wook began with SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE (2002) and OLDBOY (2003), but odds are, you already knew that. I have only seen OLDBOY, but I've been meaning to get into MR. VENGEANCE for a long while now. While LADY VENGEANCE never reaches the soaring heights that OLDBOY attains, it does come close in its own right.
The guiding theme of the film (and, really, the very best revenge pictures) is the ultimate futility of revenge as means to an end. In our lives, we will encounter pain that feels unbearable and final. Sometimes, that pain will be caused by other people. We may believe that we can alleviate our own suffering by passing some of it onto others, by making them share in our misery, but, in the end, it is a pointless quest. In the end, by letting our rage guide us, we become no better than the people we sought revenge against. That's also a central theme in LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST and CARRIE, all classics of the revenge film sub-genre.
LADY VENGEANCE is the story of Geum-ja Lee, incarcerated for 13 years for a crime she did not commit (but did assist with). The events concerning her framing and capture are best left unknown to the potential viewer. (An aside: I typically don't give a fuck about revealing spoilers to people, but Chan-wook's films are ones that should be seen with as little knowledge of the films as possible. Thus, I make exception here.) LADY VENGEANCE unfolds in a non-linear fashion, unraveling slowly and revealing itself in subtle ways. While in jail, Geum-ja is granted the status of an angel, as she looks over the other, weaker female prisoners and takes them under her wing. She is well-liked by the guards and the Korean media. But quickly, we realize that her motives are not altruistic, and that she has a plan in mind for when she is released.
What sets LADY VENGEANCE apart (as well as MISS .45 and I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and the KILL BILL pictures) is that the main character is a female, seeking revenge on a male character. It never really becomes a feminist parable, though, as Geum-ja is too singular, too focused on her particular goal, to make any sort of comment on gender. But the fact that she is a female cannot be avoided or ignored. Females are treated horribly by males in this film (but females also treat other females cruelly, as well), and, in the end, the males get their come-uppance. But, again, once revenge is had, what becomes of the seeker? When you define yourself according to one goal, namely the ending of another human's life, how do you define yourself once you actually achieve that goal? LADY VENGEACE offers no answers, no resolutions, just raises questions and gives us one great, bloody climax. This will probably make my Top 10 of 2006.
--Park Chan-Wook
LADY VENGEANCE completes the loose "revenge trilogy" which Chan-wook began with SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE (2002) and OLDBOY (2003), but odds are, you already knew that. I have only seen OLDBOY, but I've been meaning to get into MR. VENGEANCE for a long while now. While LADY VENGEANCE never reaches the soaring heights that OLDBOY attains, it does come close in its own right.
The guiding theme of the film (and, really, the very best revenge pictures) is the ultimate futility of revenge as means to an end. In our lives, we will encounter pain that feels unbearable and final. Sometimes, that pain will be caused by other people. We may believe that we can alleviate our own suffering by passing some of it onto others, by making them share in our misery, but, in the end, it is a pointless quest. In the end, by letting our rage guide us, we become no better than the people we sought revenge against. That's also a central theme in LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST and CARRIE, all classics of the revenge film sub-genre.
LADY VENGEANCE is the story of Geum-ja Lee, incarcerated for 13 years for a crime she did not commit (but did assist with). The events concerning her framing and capture are best left unknown to the potential viewer. (An aside: I typically don't give a fuck about revealing spoilers to people, but Chan-wook's films are ones that should be seen with as little knowledge of the films as possible. Thus, I make exception here.) LADY VENGEANCE unfolds in a non-linear fashion, unraveling slowly and revealing itself in subtle ways. While in jail, Geum-ja is granted the status of an angel, as she looks over the other, weaker female prisoners and takes them under her wing. She is well-liked by the guards and the Korean media. But quickly, we realize that her motives are not altruistic, and that she has a plan in mind for when she is released.
What sets LADY VENGEANCE apart (as well as MISS .45 and I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and the KILL BILL pictures) is that the main character is a female, seeking revenge on a male character. It never really becomes a feminist parable, though, as Geum-ja is too singular, too focused on her particular goal, to make any sort of comment on gender. But the fact that she is a female cannot be avoided or ignored. Females are treated horribly by males in this film (but females also treat other females cruelly, as well), and, in the end, the males get their come-uppance. But, again, once revenge is had, what becomes of the seeker? When you define yourself according to one goal, namely the ending of another human's life, how do you define yourself once you actually achieve that goal? LADY VENGEACE offers no answers, no resolutions, just raises questions and gives us one great, bloody climax. This will probably make my Top 10 of 2006.
Labels: 2006
posted by travis at 9:59 PM
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