Poetry(Shi)

The late veteran actress Yoon Jeong-hee – star of such classic films as Kim Soo-yong’s Mist (1967) – came out of retirement to star in Poetry and play Mi-ja, a grandmother and part-time caregiver herself suffering from the onset of Alzheimer’s who must come to terms with her teenaged grandson’s involvement in a gang rape that led to the young victim’s suicide. Pressured by the parents of the other perpetrators to take part in an outof- court settlement, Mi-ja can only find solace in a poetry class offered by the local community centre. Following Secret Sunshine, Lee once again gives us a strongly characterised female protagonist while contemplating crime and punishment in a small-town setting from an oblique perspective.

Cannes Film Festival: Best Screenplay Award

Grand Bell Awards: Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor

22/12 (Fri) Speaker: Dr. Fiona Law (Lecturer in Comparative Literature at the University of Hong Kong)