Review of Poetry (2010) by Jaden N — 24 Nov 2011
This beautifully directed little film conjured such a sensitive subject but does not afraid to tackle it. Poetry follows a grandmother, Mija, who is suffering from dementia, discovering a poetry-writing class that inspired her to view the world in a different way.
Meanwhile, she found out that her grandson has taken part in a rape of a girl at his school that led to the girl's sucide. Throughout the film, you see that Mija, an incredible performance from Jeong-hie Yun, was using poetry to partly to all the worries away from her life.
Yun is emotionally stunning as a guilt-full grandmother who loves her grandson and does not want to see him go to prison. The film raises political innuendos as to the 6 boys that raped the girl will not be convicted because the police does not want to investigate and the boys need to have their future.
Poetry spent a lot of time reminiscing the beauty of the world around you and it was time well spent; it gives you a better sense about the story of guilt, responsibility, love, passion, and most of all sadness.
Chang-dong Lee's careful and elegant direction really gave Yun a nuanced and observant portrayal of Mija. The film is a quiet centerpiece yet by the end it became one of the most haunting films of the year.
This review of Poetry (2010) was written by Jaden N on 24 Nov 2011.
Poetry has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
