Peppermint Candy by Lee Chang-Dong - Movie Review Example

Historiography, the Peppermint Candy Historiography may be defined as the methodology study of how history unfolds in a specialized topic or art work. In this case, peppermint candy is a historical evolution of Korea history as depicted in the peppermint candy movie with Yong – ho’s life story. Yong-ho's life as shown in the movie represent Korea’s major recent historical events . Yong-ho's life is a practical representation of south Korean culture making the film to have a connection and a historical touch. In each and every artistic work like the plot of a film, everything has relation to everyday life and in this film, south Korean culture have been greatly analyzed making it clear to understand its culture. The director in the film presents the daily South Korean people in a most effective drama. Similarly, the subject matter of the story is hardly alienating for strangers, although it binds the life of Yong with the contemporary history and society of Korean. The narrative is generated with simple realism to turn an ordinary life of a man into a true and common story. The director possibly captures various emotions in this dynamic character ranging from oppressed soul to ambitious teenagers with visions. Therefore, Yong-ho portrayal in the film is mainly an astute reflection of significant influences that these social alterations have on people who are adamant to subscribe to them and therefore brings such changes with time (Soyoung, 12). The viewers slowly start to sympathize with Yong-ho all through the riveting performance of Sol, seeing his problematic acts all through the movie as an outward extension of disastrous environment. Similarly, as growing visions are ruined and relationships are broken before audience eyes, the movie relentlessly shows the woeful nature of Yong-ho’s existence and how people can be overcome by powerful time conditions. The difference between the ancient political and social South Korean climate and the Yong-ho’s fate that makes the movie as bittersweet as a candy that title imitates ( Soyoung, 22).. The story reverse shows the past of South Korea – poetically shown via the aspect of the falling train. The peppermint Candy movie is mainly a movie whose story is unique in presentation. Through the story of Yong-ho’s life, the story reveals the reasons as to why Yong-ho decided to commit suicide in the initial stages of the film. As much as the film is seen as the study of a character of an awry man, the director of the film designs it to explore political, social, and economic systems dynamics in South Korean between 1979 and 99 (Soyoung, 34). Therefore, Yong-ho is depicted as a main narrative device that Lee Chang utilizes to analyze the negative effects that these changes have on the entire Korean society – for instance, from 1990s economic downturn to 1980s government dictatorship of the military. The movie expounds on tumultuous events that has tailored the societal landscape of South Korea and the Yong-ho’s life. Peppermint Candy is not an easily digestible film – audience mainly sees the unraveling fragility of a man as opposed to the challenges of most disastrous South Korean events. However, through the constantly changing historical flow, Lee clearly investigates the ramifications that these historical happenings have on Yong-ho and the South Korean world at large. In other words, Peppermint Candy just exploring Yong-ho and South Korea’s most disastrous moments in history as well as emotional effects that emanate for such tragic affairs and experiences (Soyoung, 52). The movie started with a horrific scene about the main character Yong-ho's shooting incident in the film which may be linked to a historical demonstration of 1980’s students demonstration that led to break out of the Gwangju massacre (Chang-Dong, “Peppermint Candy”). This made him very traumatized during this shooting incident. The military intensified its grip on the country as it is mirrored by Yong-ho inability to maintain his innocence making him become more cynical when he was a policeman. In addition , he lost his job in the early 1990s as mirrored by the Asian financial crisis. His life clearly showed the fight back between psychoanalysis and historiography. Despite his struggles to forget his past and move on with life the past took the best of him and overpowered analytical behaviors of life. This historical traces remnant which includes a camera, the train and the peppermint candy made Yong- ho to look back instead of solely focusing on his future because of the main traumatic events that were imposed on life were so entangled that he could not just assume and move on (So young, 72). However, it took Yong – ho time to reflect on his past allowing him to make a step forward into the future but so unfortunate that it has been just the moment he committed suicide by turning to face the train. The train symbolized a guidance to the film in the reverse chronology and his cry to go back to the past symbolized his accidental late visualization of his past’s importance in his life (Chang-Dong, “Peppermint Candy”). Masculinity issue is also well depicted in the film about South Korea culture. Yong – ho’s masculinity was wrecked when the Gwangju Massacre took place in which military masculinity empowered by the Korean government led him to kill innocent people during his twenty six months military duties. Experts shows how military control over the state of Korea has shaped the militarized society creation that prospered its masculine character. They also emphasize on the notion that aspects like the organized violence use, rational discipline, characterized militarized masculinity and calculation, as well as distance form reproductive acts socially labeled as feminine that are mainly evident in the film and utilized by the protagonist, a significant outcome of a male oriented community (Chang-Dong, “Peppermint Candy”). He had to conform to military standards which forces him to give back later in life by interrogating students who had staged a demonstration being the major cause he was in that situation. Finally, the film highlights the women's role marginalization and discrimination themes. For instance, the film focuses more on the life of a man through male perspective and does not explore any feminine ideology. In the film, leaders of patriarchal society always oppress women, for instance, Yong-ho directly oppresses Honja, and the director does not allow his audience to know the feelings of such women and their reaction to such oppressions (Chang-Dong, “Peppermint Candy”). This condition is greatly portrayed on how Yong – ho carries his role as a man as we expect him to take care of his children and give more special treatment to be bestowed to his wife. He treats women badly in his life and this is seen as he mistreat his wife Hong – ja making him lose one link of credibility to his innocence. What can be seen in the beginning of the movie would be the termination of Yong – ho life which clearly indicates the crucial degradation and lamentation of innocence lose where the history of a person is related to South Korea history. In conclusion, historiography may be defined as the methodology study of how history unfolded in an artistic work. In this case, peppermint candy film is a historical evolution of Korea history as depicted in the peppermint candy movie with Yong – ho’s life story. Yong-ho's life as shown in the movie represent Korea’s major recent historical events. Yong-ho's life is a practical representation of south Korean culture making the film to have a connection and a historical touch. In each and every artistic work like the plot of a film, everything has relation to everyday life and in this film, South Korean culture have been greatly analyzed making it clear to understand its culture. Works cited Soyoung, Kim. "Contemporary Korean Cinema: Industry, Art, and Ideology - Do Not Include Me in Your "us": Peppermint Candy and the Politics of Difference." Korea Journal. 46.1 2006. Print. Peppermint Candy. Dir. Lee Chang-Dong. Shindo films. 2000. DVD Read More