4 weeks ago
Sol Kyung-gu, Claudia Kim, Kim Hee-ae and Jang Dong-gun prima successful 'A Normal Family.'
London Korean Film FestivalIt takes courageousness to show a communicative that’s been told 3 times before—and directorial accomplishment to make that communicative compelling—both of which are evident successful head Hur Jin-ho’s 2023 movie A Normal Family. The movie is based connected nan bestselling Dutch caller Het Diner by Herman Koch, which was published successful 2009. The caller has already inspired 3 adaptations, each titled The Dinner. The Dutch type was released successful 2013, starring Jacob Derwig and Thecla Reuten. The Italian type followed successful 2014, starring Alessandro Gassman and Giovanna Mezzogiorno, while nan U.S. version, starring Richard Gere and Laura Linney, was released successful 2017.
Whatever inspired Hur to accommodate a caller that had already produced 3 films, it’s a bully point he did, because A Normal Family is everything a bully movie should be. With immoderate beautiful pacing, a good written book and fantabulous acting by Jang Dong-gun, Kim Hee-ae, Claudia Kim and Sol Kyung-gu, nan movie relays nan book’s intent and heartbreakingly explores nan malleable quality of morality.
In nan movie Jang plays Jae-gyu a pediatrician, who looks down connected his successful lawyer brother, Jae-won, played by Sol. Jae-gyu does not o.k. of his brother’s prime of clients aliases nan crass methods he uses to take sides them. Jae-gyu and his wife, played by Kim Hee-ae, unpaid and do bully work. While Sol considers himself nan smarter and much realistic brother, Jae-gyu is judge that he’s morally superior. Since puerility nan brothers person relentlessly engaged successful specified one-upmanship.
An incident involving their teenage children further rocks nan equilibrium of their already rocky relationship. As a consequence of this incident Jae-gyu must wonderment really acold he will spell to prevention his son. Jae-gyu’s woman besides considers herself a civilized person, but erstwhile it comes to protecting her son, she won’t hesitate to dispose of humor stains. It’s an often shocking communicative astir correct and wrong, nan rich | getting distant pinch murder, but it’s besides a communicative astir parenthood, really nan desire to protect one’s children supersedes each logical morality. Jang Dong-gun and Kim Hae-ee present awesome performances arsenic parents who suffer their civilized compass. There’s a memorable segment wherever Jang Dong-gun sits quietly, his look sagging pinch existential exhaustion. His boy is simply a teen, almost beyond his power and yet still successful request of his father’s protection. To protect him, Jae-gyu must sacrifice his consciousness aliases civilized superiority.
In nan book, nan 2 couples meet for meal astatine an outrageously costly edifice and successful betwixt courses slow statesman to unravel. Most of nan novel’s action takes spot successful flashbacks, pinch nan characters indulging successful their ain thoughts and memories. Hur group nan movie betwixt a series of meals, truthful that nan story’s communicative unfolds successful 3 acts. Each enactment features a meal successful which decisions must beryllium made and a level of truth established. As successful galore of Hur’s different awesome cinematic creations, nan films Forbidden Dream, The Last Princess and his TV play Lost, nan head explores what constitutes our conception of civilized behavior, a impermanent statement to cooperate that mightiness astatine immoderate infinitesimal break down. As it truthful often does—within families and wrong societies.
The movie debuted astatine nan Toronto International Film Festival and opens The London Korean Film Festival on Nov. 2.
Follow maine on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.
