Synopsis
I make my own words whatever it takes…
A sprawling story of one man's tumultuous life within the context of the South Korean political situation during the second half of the 20th century.
Low Life
2004 ‘하류인생’ Directed by Im Kwon-taek
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Alternative Titles
La pègre, Haryu insaeng, Raging Years
Popular reviews
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I like to interpret this film as a scathing critique of South Korean capitalism, and I do think there's enough in the text to substantiate such a reading. But the annoying thing about watching films directed by Im Kwon-taek is his "centrist boomer" takes. He's critical of the anti-communist ideology in South Korea, yet he's like the Korean film director equivalent of the Jubilee YouTube channel. A lot of his films have the same energy as those dumb arguments you come across where people say shit like "ackshually, communism is as bad as fascism, so if you want to be a political intellectual, you have to be an enlightened centrist such as myself" ☠️
Like, if you ever decide to…
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Kim Gyu-ri, if you're reading this, I am free on Thursday night. If you would like to hang out, I am free on Thursday night when I am free to hang out. I am free to hang out on Thursday night: so if you want to hang out on Thursday night, I am free.
Jokes aside, I loved how this effortlessly blended dramatic political changes sprawled across time with the gangster/money-chasing themes and the daftness of the main fuccboi character; seamlessly done. Kim Gyu-ri stole the show, though, and brought much-needed femininity to this patriarchy-heavy affair. And those goldfish deserved better. There were moments of sincerity throughout, such as when he tended to his friend who wound up alone in the hospital, which I enjoyed. Please forgive me for my current brain fog, Maria & SupremeLemon: I have not had the best day.
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Ah the eternal ,was I not paying enough attention or was this made in a way that defied attention spans, question?
Technically speaking it's not that confusing, the main character just does what he has to do to move ahead and we follow his various shady career changes and his personal life. Things get trickier when you try to follow the regime and sociopolitical changes (when is that ever an easy thing to do), I have to admit I did some research on that front because even though its main character seems detached from the trials and tribulations of the nation, at the same time he is a product of those times so it's necessary to have at least some…
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Dear Letterboxd,
Im Kwon-taek has directed over 100 films and yet only 8 are listed on your directory. What's up with that?
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so what if i had a hard time following the entire thing? cho seung woo looks fine as hell and that's what matters
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Una relajada mirada a los conflictos que surgieron en la sociedad coreana tras el golpe de estado de 1961. Lo mejor, la brillante actuación de un joven Cho Seung-woo.
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딱 시작하자마자 임권택 감독의 스타일을 느낄 수 있지만 좀 밋밋한 영화. 조승우의 힘을 보는 것이 관전 포인트.