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![]() lady vengeance interview
Director Park Chan-wook gets his own back. For a man who has evidently had vengeance on his mind, Korean director Park Chan-wook looks remarkably sanguine as he discusses his new film over a hot beverage. Lady Vengeance, the last in a purported “revenge trilogy” which began with Sympathy For Mr Vengeance and Cannes prize-winner Oldboy, returns to Park’s now familiar theme; all three films dwelling – often in vividly gruesome detail – on the nature of revenge. So what is it about this subject that so fascinates him?![]() “When someone goes through a great sense of loss and important things are taken away from him, that person is reborn as a madman,” he offers, via a translator. “But once you have performed the act of vengeance, you realise that it can bring no joy or reward. In this moment you die again, internally. I think that’s life in a caricature form.” In Lady Vengeance, a young woman, Geum-ja (Lee Young-ae), is jailed for the kidnapping and murder of a little boy. She’s – partly – innocent, however, and during her 13 years in prison designs a complex scheme to get even on the man (played by Oldboy star Choi Min-sik) who betrayed her and stole her own daughter. In contrast to Mr Vengeance’s brutal single-take realism, or Oldboy’s manga-inspired baroque, this time Park offers a more contemplative tone to the retribution. “It’s unusual, this particular vengeance story, in that the motivation behind revenge is redemption,” he explains, in reference to Geum-ja’s internal conflict. (Indeed, the film’s Korean title is Kindly Miss Geum-ja.) “In my opinion, probably women have a more acute sense of responsibility and guilt than men. The stepping aside when the revenge is before your own eyes maybe is more fitting with a female character.” ![]() Not that Park stints on his trademark blend of outrageous visuals - the fable-like design and cinematography are stunning – quirky humour and, yes, wince-making violence. So is making these films some kind of therapeutic release from his own aggressions? “It’s true to a certain extent,” he reasons. “But as a way to vent your anger, film is not a very effective medium. If you’re a heavy rocker, for example, you can jump about onstage and instantly unleash what’s within you in music. Filmmaking is such a lengthy process. In fact the anger is exacerbated because the process takes so long.” Presumably, when we get Park Chan-wook’s thrash metal album, we know we’re in real trouble.
Leigh Singer
Lady Vengeance, on selected release 17 February 06.
Read members' comments related to this film.
comment by flyingtwinkle
Feb 17, 2006
i believe can act and react with more dtermined vengence
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