Lee Chang-Dong is a Korean auteur recognized for presenting the frail and fragile nature of human beings. His films depict the idea of how sociopolitical situations can play a pivotal role in shaping the personality of an individual. His second feature film, Peppermint Candy (1999), a narrative told in reverse chronological order, presents how the dark and dictatorial history of South Korea contributed to the jaded protagonist's loss of innocence and poetic curiosity for life. Like Peppermint Candy, Secret Sunshine tells the story of an emotionally wounded woman by the name of Shin-ae (Jeon Do-Yeon), who is yearning for a fresh start in the small of town of Miryang, which is where her deceased husband was born and raised. She moves into the town with her adorable son, Jun, and earns a living as a piano teacher.
Secret Sunshine does not employ a complicated narrative structure, lavish visuals, and boisterous camera movements to tell its intimate story. This is a normal film. It deals with the mundane activities that the people of the town Miryang engage in within an apt and simple approach. Even the biggest plot points, which in another film would be portrayed with heightened crescendos and dramatic overtures, are portrayed in a sophisticated and subdued manner. Even the color palette, which has blue and white pervading the visuals, is very plain, simple, and normal... The camera moves, but you forget that it is even moving. The screenplay foreshadows the biggest plot points by subtly using the interactions Shin-ae has with the people of Miryang. Every element of Secret Sunshine is a reflection of our daily lives, which is what allows Lee Chang-Dong to tell a story that is authentic and intimate. Just like his previous films, this too is an in-depth case study of an individual who is trying to make peace with the reality they are a part of. Instead of using the sociopolitical situations that are permeating in the town of Miryang, Lee Chang-Dong deals with the themes of God and religion as the pillar of discovery for Shin-ae. But this film is neither preachy nor a criticism towards religion; it is an unbiased reflection of how organized religion functions and how people attain a sense of spiritual enlightenment through it. Shin-ae deals with the graceful nature of religion as a coping mechanism for the tragedies she faces later on in the film.
If Peppermint Candy conveyed the idea that innocence can be lost at any moment, without one realizing it, then Secret Sunshine conveys the idea that our inner notions can be rejected by reality at any moment. At times, Shin-ae is presented as an idealistic character. She is in peace when the reality is mirroring her inner notions; she becomes rebellious when reality fails to mirror her inner notions. Her character may seem obnoxious from this lens, but Lee Chang-Dong allows the audience to empathize with her emotions because she is a woman who has experienced every depth of calamity one can ever experience. She lost her husband in a car accident, her family does not keep in touch with her, and the people that know her very well don't have a favorable opinion about her. Of course, this does come from how the screenplay establishes the building blocks of Shin-ae's character, but if it weren't for Jeon Do-Yeon's performance, Shin-ae's humanity may not have come to fruition on the screen.
The Queen of Cannes, Jeon Do-Yeon, is indeed phenomenal. The sheer physical nature of her performance is just brilliant. When she runs her hand all over her chest, her stomach, and coughs endlessly, one can't help but experience the fatigue and exhaustion with her. Her grief becomes our grief. Her moment of catharsis becomes our moment of catharsis. Her moment of epiphany becomes our moment of epiphany. The greatest achievement of her performance is that her vulnerability and flaws have a graceful nature to them. Her sad and lonely eyes beautifully enhance the interior nature of her character. As a piano teacher who is trying to teach her students how to craft melody and harmony, she too is trying to learn how to bring melody and harmony into her life. Her want for grace is mirrored by Song Kang-Ho's character, Jong-chan. Song Kang-Ho easily could have overstayed his welcome, but he does not do that. Just like Shin-ae, he too is a lonely soul yearning for affection and impact. In some moments, he is someone who has one-sided feelings for Shin-ae and does everything he can to help her walk on a straight path. In other moments, he is a sad and lonely person who thinks of himself as a loser and has this deep desire to leave an impact and obtain a sense of affection from someone. It's a brilliant and graceful performance.
The natural demeanor of the actors' performances is reflected by how the film utilizes nature as a character. The film opens with the image of a blue sky, shrouded by clouds and sunshine. The film closes with the image of the moist soil and chucks of Shin-ae's hair being gently blown by the breeze. Nature as a character is what grounds the melodramatic narrative of the film. It represents the "secret" in the film's title. This is one of Lee Chang-Dong's more philosophical films. It does not embody the socially relevant nature of his previous films. The idea of duality becomes the antagonist that the characters grapple with.
Duality is unpredictable. Duality sometimes has no face, which is what causes Shin-ae's obstacles and disillusionment to be much more daunting and challenging. Lee Chang-Dong utilizes the symbols of the sky, the ground, the color blue, and the color white as a reflection of Shin-ae's companions. Without her awareness, these elements are providing her with the moral support she needs to cope with her hardship - they are her secrets which she is withholding. Jong-Chan becomes her companion too; his outfits reflect the colors of nature. These abstract metaphors are what allow Lee Chang-Dong to prevent the conventional characteristics of a melodrama from permeating in the narrative.
The end result is a film that deals with these existential and philosophical questions with an unfiltered, unbiased, and subdued approach. Secret Sunshine does have its fair share of hard-hitting and grim moments, but ultimately, it is a film that represents the notion that hope is right in front of us. When one acknowledges its existence and impact, it becomes less of a symbol of secrecy. It becomes a symbol of grace, catharsis, and sunshine...
Secret Sunshine does not employ a complicated narrative structure, lavish visuals, and boisterous camera movements to tell its intimate story. This is a normal film. It deals with the mundane activities that the people of the town Miryang engage in within an apt and simple approach. Even the biggest plot points, which in another film would be portrayed with heightened crescendos and dramatic overtures, are portrayed in a sophisticated and subdued manner. Even the color palette, which has blue and white pervading the visuals, is very plain, simple, and normal... The camera moves, but you forget that it is even moving. The screenplay foreshadows the biggest plot points by subtly using the interactions Shin-ae has with the people of Miryang. Every element of Secret Sunshine is a reflection of our daily lives, which is what allows Lee Chang-Dong to tell a story that is authentic and intimate. Just like his previous films, this too is an in-depth case study of an individual who is trying to make peace with the reality they are a part of. Instead of using the sociopolitical situations that are permeating in the town of Miryang, Lee Chang-Dong deals with the themes of God and religion as the pillar of discovery for Shin-ae. But this film is neither preachy nor a criticism towards religion; it is an unbiased reflection of how organized religion functions and how people attain a sense of spiritual enlightenment through it. Shin-ae deals with the graceful nature of religion as a coping mechanism for the tragedies she faces later on in the film.
If Peppermint Candy conveyed the idea that innocence can be lost at any moment, without one realizing it, then Secret Sunshine conveys the idea that our inner notions can be rejected by reality at any moment. At times, Shin-ae is presented as an idealistic character. She is in peace when the reality is mirroring her inner notions; she becomes rebellious when reality fails to mirror her inner notions. Her character may seem obnoxious from this lens, but Lee Chang-Dong allows the audience to empathize with her emotions because she is a woman who has experienced every depth of calamity one can ever experience. She lost her husband in a car accident, her family does not keep in touch with her, and the people that know her very well don't have a favorable opinion about her. Of course, this does come from how the screenplay establishes the building blocks of Shin-ae's character, but if it weren't for Jeon Do-Yeon's performance, Shin-ae's humanity may not have come to fruition on the screen.
The Queen of Cannes, Jeon Do-Yeon, is indeed phenomenal. The sheer physical nature of her performance is just brilliant. When she runs her hand all over her chest, her stomach, and coughs endlessly, one can't help but experience the fatigue and exhaustion with her. Her grief becomes our grief. Her moment of catharsis becomes our moment of catharsis. Her moment of epiphany becomes our moment of epiphany. The greatest achievement of her performance is that her vulnerability and flaws have a graceful nature to them. Her sad and lonely eyes beautifully enhance the interior nature of her character. As a piano teacher who is trying to teach her students how to craft melody and harmony, she too is trying to learn how to bring melody and harmony into her life. Her want for grace is mirrored by Song Kang-Ho's character, Jong-chan. Song Kang-Ho easily could have overstayed his welcome, but he does not do that. Just like Shin-ae, he too is a lonely soul yearning for affection and impact. In some moments, he is someone who has one-sided feelings for Shin-ae and does everything he can to help her walk on a straight path. In other moments, he is a sad and lonely person who thinks of himself as a loser and has this deep desire to leave an impact and obtain a sense of affection from someone. It's a brilliant and graceful performance.
The natural demeanor of the actors' performances is reflected by how the film utilizes nature as a character. The film opens with the image of a blue sky, shrouded by clouds and sunshine. The film closes with the image of the moist soil and chucks of Shin-ae's hair being gently blown by the breeze. Nature as a character is what grounds the melodramatic narrative of the film. It represents the "secret" in the film's title. This is one of Lee Chang-Dong's more philosophical films. It does not embody the socially relevant nature of his previous films. The idea of duality becomes the antagonist that the characters grapple with.
Duality is unpredictable. Duality sometimes has no face, which is what causes Shin-ae's obstacles and disillusionment to be much more daunting and challenging. Lee Chang-Dong utilizes the symbols of the sky, the ground, the color blue, and the color white as a reflection of Shin-ae's companions. Without her awareness, these elements are providing her with the moral support she needs to cope with her hardship - they are her secrets which she is withholding. Jong-Chan becomes her companion too; his outfits reflect the colors of nature. These abstract metaphors are what allow Lee Chang-Dong to prevent the conventional characteristics of a melodrama from permeating in the narrative.
The end result is a film that deals with these existential and philosophical questions with an unfiltered, unbiased, and subdued approach. Secret Sunshine does have its fair share of hard-hitting and grim moments, but ultimately, it is a film that represents the notion that hope is right in front of us. When one acknowledges its existence and impact, it becomes less of a symbol of secrecy. It becomes a symbol of grace, catharsis, and sunshine...