One of the surprising things about this film is the way it simultaneously shows both the better side of human nature, and the extent to which people become damaged and twisted by the upheaval and moral degradation of armed conflict.
means that it contains images that, at first glance, don’t seem to belong together in the same film. The poster suggests a child-friendly story, but then the opening scenes contain highly graphic and disturbing violence.
Later, warmly-lit scenes of children singing and coming together to reconcile their differences are intercut with disturbing instances of child exploitation and abuse. It’s a film that sometimes lurches suddenly from the depraved to the sublime, and back again.
But to say that the tone is inconsistent is in this case not a criticism, since the darker elements of the story also serve their purpose. It is fortunate that the film was directed by someone who has the skill to handle this sort of contradictory tone.
Although the early part of his career was focused on love stories, director Lee Han has displayed impressive dramatic range in his last three works.
Punch, which screened at the 14th FEFF, centers around a troubled high school boy who experiences an identity crisis after discovering that his mother, who left when he was an infant, is not Korean but Filipina.
Thread of Lies, meanwhile, is about a schoolgirl who commits suicide, and the feelings of guilt and confusion that are left in her wake.
Both films tackle complicated subject matter and handle it in a surprisingly smooth and sensitive way.
A Moment to Remember is a different kind of film, but Lee’s dramatic strengths can still be clearly felt.
Finally, one can’t talk about this film without mentioning the strengths of its child actors. You might say that Korea is witnessing the arrival of a whole generation of highly talented (and extensively trained) child actors. You can see this is in some memorable performances in other films from 2016, including T
he World of Us and
Making Family. But the ensemble nature of
A Melody to Remember really showcases the depth of young talent, and the increasing ability of directors to tap into that talent.
This is to take nothing away from the adult leads, who are quite remarkable, including a brilliantly rendered villain role from Lee Hee-jun. But in the end, this movie belongs to the kids.