Peppermint Candy
1999 ‘Bakha satang’ Directed by Chang-dong Lee
Synopsis
In the spring of 1999, a group of old friends gather to celebrate their 20 year reunion. Among the group is Yeong-ho, a cold, unhappy man, whose demeanor puts a damper on the festivities. The seriousness of Yeong-ho"s depression becomes apparent, however, when he climbs a railroad bridge and looks like he might jump. At this crucial moment, memories of seven crucial episodes from Yeong-ho"s past flood his mind.
Popular reviews
More-
Let me start off this review by apologizing for not watching this sooner. Given the fact I've already seen Oasis, Secret Sunshine, and Poetry much earlier in my Korean film-watching career, and loving them, I have no good excuse for putting off Lee's sophomore title, Peppermint Candy. I'm quite disappointed in myself, yes. But, it's better late than never.
Lee Chang-dong is praised by many, including me, for being a master at writing, directing, and capturing raw human emotion without falling to shamelessly corny melodrama. And just because Peppermint Candy is one of his earlier works, doesn't mean it wavers from that emotional strength presented in Lee's later works. It uses a clever method of reverse-chronological storytelling to show a…
-
The great cinematic pleasure of 2012 for me is undoubtedly discovering the films of Chang-dong Lee. I feel rather stupid for not exploring his work sooner but at least this way I get to experience a concentrated dose of movie magic.
Peppermint Candy chronicles the corruption and loss of innocence of a man during a turbulent and destructive period in South Korean history. Beginning with his suicide on a train track (a reoccurring motif helping to tie the film together) the story unfolds in reverse order as we witness how a naive and idealistic teen could become the broken man we first meet. The film’s structure, rather than simply being a novel attention grabbing device, works beautifully to provide greater…
-
With the culmination of a man's fate, we're taken backwards through his life to learn why it ends as this movie begins. Unlike many other movies, the backwards tale have more than a gimmick to offer. It also enhances the the story to know what yet is to come for Yeong-ho.
Chang-dong manage to keep the movie well within harsh realities and personal disasters, without going overboard with sentimentality and nostalgia. The reoccurring motif of those beautiful train tracks helps keep the flashbacks easy to follow, while they hold a certain devastating quality of reminding us of things to come later in his life.
Not a pleasurable experience, but a very good movie.
-
Peppermint Candy, due to its involvement with Korean history, was a little impenetrable to me. The context in which the story plays out was largely out of my reach, and the characters, particularly the main character, never engaged me enough at any point because I was trying to orient myself in time and political upheaval.
I do feel like I would like this better had it played out in chronological order, as I'm not really sure why it even opted to use the fractured narrative style. I feel that if the mystery of 'how did things end up this way' was removed the film would not be as compelling, but the character may have been more engaging. Perhaps my opinion could change on a re-watch too.
Still, glad that I got the change to see it due to the amazing work from the guys at the Melbourne Cinematheque as part of the Lee Chang-Dong retrospective on 35mm.
-
This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
-
Lacking any meaningful comprehension of the cultural context, I was less than interested in the watching of this film. The reverse chronology was an unnecessary gimmick, framed though it was by ever-compelling trains and their tracks.
It seems like a risky gambit, asking the audience to endure such an unsympathetic prick of a character in order to make a statement about the corruption of innocence in South Korea. Lee hammered home his point, but didn't make a particularly pleasing film in the process.
Recent reviews
More-
Let me start off this review by apologizing for not watching this sooner. Given the fact I've already seen Oasis, Secret Sunshine, and Poetry much earlier in my Korean film-watching career, and loving them, I have no good excuse for putting off Lee's sophomore title, Peppermint Candy. I'm quite disappointed in myself, yes. But, it's better late than never.
Lee Chang-dong is praised by many, including me, for being a master at writing, directing, and capturing raw human emotion without falling to shamelessly corny melodrama. And just because Peppermint Candy is one of his earlier works, doesn't mean it wavers from that emotional strength presented in Lee's later works. It uses a clever method of reverse-chronological storytelling to show a…
-
Parts held my interest but it soon became tiresome in its melodramatics and use of storytelling gimmicks to leave any real lasting impact.
-
This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
-
The film begins with a lively picnic by the river. Old friends — former employees of the same factory — are recreating a festive event at the same spot some 20 years earlier. Lee Yongho (Sol Kyung-gu) shows up late, and clearly a bit off his rocker. He stumbles around, starts raving, and climbs up on the train tracks. As the engine bears down on him he screams, “I want to go back!”
And so the film goes back, Memento-style (or Irreversible-style, if you like, though not exactly like either), going through seven (if I counted right) significant periods in Yongho’s life back to that first picnic. We see him become less and less unhinged, until we reach the event…
-
Lacking any meaningful comprehension of the cultural context, I was less than interested in the watching of this film. The reverse chronology was an unnecessary gimmick, framed though it was by ever-compelling trains and their tracks.
It seems like a risky gambit, asking the audience to endure such an unsympathetic prick of a character in order to make a statement about the corruption of innocence in South Korea. Lee hammered home his point, but didn't make a particularly pleasing film in the process.
-
Peppermint Candy, due to its involvement with Korean history, was a little impenetrable to me. The context in which the story plays out was largely out of my reach, and the characters, particularly the main character, never engaged me enough at any point because I was trying to orient myself in time and political upheaval.
I do feel like I would like this better had it played out in chronological order, as I'm not really sure why it even opted to use the fractured narrative style. I feel that if the mystery of 'how did things end up this way' was removed the film would not be as compelling, but the character may have been more engaging. Perhaps my opinion could change on a re-watch too.
Still, glad that I got the change to see it due to the amazing work from the guys at the Melbourne Cinematheque as part of the Lee Chang-Dong retrospective on 35mm.
-
A Memento like film about loss of innocence. A man is desperate and we get to see different parts of his life, going backwards until we understand where he is coming from and why he is behaving this way. Another good film from Chang-dong Lee.
-
With the culmination of a man's fate, we're taken backwards through his life to learn why it ends as this movie begins. Unlike many other movies, the backwards tale have more than a gimmick to offer. It also enhances the the story to know what yet is to come for Yeong-ho.
Chang-dong manage to keep the movie well within harsh realities and personal disasters, without going overboard with sentimentality and nostalgia. The reoccurring motif of those beautiful train tracks helps keep the flashbacks easy to follow, while they hold a certain devastating quality of reminding us of things to come later in his life.
Not a pleasurable experience, but a very good movie.
-
A bit over the top on sentimentality in parts, but it more than makes up for it along the way.