Bae Doona

Kim Sae-ron

Song Sae-byuk

Kim Jin-goo

Son Jong-hak

Na Jong-min

Gong Myoung

Kim Jong-goo

Park Jin-woo

Moon Sung-keun

Jang Hee-jin

Kim Min-jae

Lee Jung-eun

Nam Moon-chul

Jo Yoo-jin

Jeong Seong-uk

July Jung

Yoon Dae-won

Lee Ho-hyun

Kim Hyun-seok

Lee Chang-dong

Kim Ji-yeon

Eo Ji-yeon

Gudrun Burie

Lee Joon-dong

Barbara van Lombeek

Lee Sun-mi

Kim Kyung-bae

Kim Hyun-sang

Kim Ha-kyoung

Lee Young-lim

Simon Lee

Seo Sang-hwa

Joseph M. Lee

Yoon Sang-yoon

Marie-France Dupagne

Lee Jun-sang

Kim Pil-soo

Kim Do-hee

Chung Min-joo

Jang Young-gyu

Drama

도희야

NOWFILM

Pinehouse Film

CGV Arthouse

South Korea

Reno

> Where's the innocence and who's the victim?

Good to be back to a Korean movie and this time I'm happy that I picked the right one. A small budget movie produced by the Korean film board and many actors from the project did for the free. A massive victory for a debutante director July Jung after receiving a standing ovation from the audience at Cannes and the positive response from the critics, media and movie buffs around the world. From this you would know that you must not miss the film and I would say the same, but I also apprise you that it ain't masterpiece.

The story follows the police officer Lee Young-nam, who is moving into a quiet small coastal town station to take a charge after the allegation of drinking problem and other personal scandal in the capital city. Her task is to lay low for a while until everything calms down to move back. She succeeds only until a girl knocks her door, metaphorically as what the title say. An unexpected relationship develops, as well seems another trouble is on the approach. Whatever happen from there is the story, especially the second half.

The good thing is this film talk about the root cause of the domestic violence. Like alcohol is one of the major concerns for those. Small intake is okay, but the excessive and addiction is the worry. No matter its the good people or bad according to how they live and what they do, but the point remain same. Here in this story as well all the characters were associated with alcoholism, but differentiated with purpose of life they are in and responsibility. The child abuse, the family who treat their own child badly was the goal to expose for us. And what follows after that was beyond a proper solution. The point it ended and what might happen after that is still a questionable.

> "Alcohol is the problem."

The girl was Kim Sae-ron from 'The Man from Nowhere' fame. She's has grown up, a teenager. In the next movie probably would play a heroine. She was very good in the role. The girl with the mentality of when everybody sided her in the society except one who begin to care for her all the sudden, that might unleash the inner evil for having a support and to relocate, but the doubt is she's capable? From the girl's perspective, all are fair and square, but what society and law's take is another arguable angle. So you might know by now, the movie is not about any section of good versus bad people, but the reality of our world/civilization/society and a strategy to stay input/alive in the life between the obstacles we face.

Slow narration, particularly in the first half. Took time to evolve the characters, but still confines the earlier events of each one of them that gave a strong next half. Nobody can know where the story is gonna go, the possibilities are several. I was stunned for the way it ended, especially the last 15 minutes were not typical, but tricky. Even for a real life, this kind of stuffs scares hell out of being an adult for caught between being a villain, but not an (serious/life threatening) offender. I said it because still in many third world countries that is how a child brought up and nobody care including government/law or the neighbours. Its no matter small mischievous thing or not intended to, or you did it. What I'm saying is the example of movies like 'Jagten' and 'In the House'. Anyway, a nice movie with the talented performers. Worth a watch and to suggest those we know.

8/10

한국어/조선말

A Girl at My Door

A GIRL AT MY DOOR - "I've warned you already"

A Girl At My Door - Trailer - Peccadillo Pictures