One of the nastiest putdowns wielded by Korean film critics is the term “shinpa”. The word originally referred to a type of Western-influenced, melodramatic stage play that was introduced via Japan in the 1910s. Derided by highbrow critics, the form lives on today in TV dramas and melodramas like The Letter (1997).
Most directors who aspire to auteur status would sooner quit filmmaking than make a shinpa melodrama. Yet Park Jin-pyo, who stirred up controversy for depicting the sex life of a septuagenarian couple in Too Young To Die, has waded fearlessly into the most vilified genre in Korean cinema.
You Are My Sunshine tells the story of a 36-year old farmer named Seok-joong who, apart from his cow and his mother, has difficulty relating to women. After backing out of a scheme to pair him with a Philippine bride, he decides to remain single, until the day Eun-ha drives past him on her scooter. (Cue slow motion, music... he’s in love). Eun-ha, meanwhile, is employed as a sex worker at the local coffee shop, delivering beverages and a variety of services to people in town. She reacts with bemusement at first when the stammering Seok-joong presents himself, but later she begins to wonder if life with him might be a viable option.
Park presents a host of realistic details to support the film’s sentiment, and also manages to slip in some cutting observances about rural life and societal prejudice. When the requisite disasters set in towards the end, they carry emotional force.
In Korea, this film is most acclaimed for its lead performances. Hwang Jeong-min’s portrayal of the physically imposing but somewhat childish Seok-joong won him multiple Best Actor awards. Jeon Do-yeon, meanwhile, shows why she is considered the best actress of her generation in a visceral display that is so natural, it is easy to underestimate.