EunGyo is based on a novel that was published by the 64-year old writer Park Beom-shin in 2010. The work is simultaneously reflective in tone and sensational in its subject matter, so that both the original novel and the 2012 film adaptation drew significant public notice. The story centers almost exclusively around the intense and crossed relations between three main characters. Lee Jeok-yo is a famous and well respected 70-year-old poet who lives alone in a spacious house outside of the city. In all the world, the person who is closest to him is one of his former students, a man named Seo Ji-woo who assists him in various ways and spends much time at his house, while simultaneously pursuing his own literary career. His devotion to his former teacher seems unusually intense, but we also sense a bit of jealousy for the older man’s superior talent. Into this world steps Eun-gyo, a 17-year-old girl from a troubled family who is looking for a part-time job. To Seo Ji-woo’s surprise, the elderly poet agrees to hire her, and she begins to visit him regularly to do household chores.
The ingenuous Eun-gyo finds a sort of solace in the poet’s home, and soon she develops a curious fascination for the old man. The two become friends, of a sort. On his part, the sight of her youthful body each day becomes a blissful distraction to him, so much so that he begins to fantasize about her. One day, in secret, he begins writing a novel titled EunGyo.
The film EunGyo is the fourth feature by director Jung Ji-woo, most famous for his shocking debut work Happy End (1999) starring Jeon Do-yeon and Choi Min-sik. From the start, Jung’s controlled but intense cinematic style seemed a good match for this work, and he has certainly left his distinctive imprint on the story. The film tends to divide people, drawing both strong praise and pointed criticism. This is in part because of the controversial subject matter, but there is also something in the film’s style that provokes viewers in both positive and negative ways. Love it or hate it, you are unlikely to forget this film.
Another issue that has caused some debate is the casting of 35-year old actor Park Hae-il (War of the Arrows, The Host) to play the 70-year old Lee Jeok-yo. Park is a very talented actor, and he gives his best effort underneath the heavy special makeup that reportedly took eight hours each day to apply and remove. Surely the producers didn’t want to turn down the opportunity to inject some real star power into the project, and perhaps they sensed that viewers might be less squeamish about the film’s Lolita overtones with Park in the lead role. Yet it’s inevitable that viewers who know his face are constantly aware of his presence beneath the makeup, whereas if an older actor had been used, it might have been easier to lose oneself in the story.
There is one thing that both supporters and detractors of the film found to agree on: debut actress Kim Go-eun, who plays Eun-gyo, is a major discovery. With a unique look, and a screen presence that feels more instinctual than intentional, Kim owns the screen for every second she is on it. Her performance earned wide praise, and she later swept the best new actress category in all of the many Korean awards ceremonies that are held at the end of each year. It seems likely that we will be seeing much more of her in the future.
EunGyo did not leave a huge mark at the box office, but it did leave an impression on many of its viewers. The film sticks in the memory for its simmering tension, and for the audacious manner in which it pulls all of its unresolved threads into a startling ending. Good books do not always make good movies, but in this case it has bequeathed Korean cinema a very distinctive and unique work.