A Brand New Life
(2009, Ounie Lecomte, France/South Korea)
Semi-autobigraphical account of an ethnic South Korean film maker inspired by her childhood memories of being abandoned by her parents. So yeah the premise is almost identical to Treeless Mountain but a) that’s no bad thing, b) it’s a personal account of a true story so comparisons are invalid.
Although not much action takes place, the 90 or so minutes fly by as we watch the young protagonist stubbornly struggle against her feelings of abandonment and loneliness as she learns to love her new friends in the orphanage never giving up hope that her father will return and take her home until the final act of acceptance.
A Brand New Life is a tear jerker of the highest order, well not for me because I’m a tough guy most other people will struggle to stay dry eyed at some of the scenes,particularly where we learn that Jin Hee thinks that she is in the orphanage because her family are upset with her.
Probably not everybody’s cup of tea but definitely worth a watch better than some of the over the top, predictable, Americanised crap that’s been coming out of Korea lately.
I like to think that with this movie, Ounie Lecomte is accepting her fate and telling her parents that she understands that the decision to give her up was so that she could have a better life.
