It's both romantic and even a little mysterious how masters tend to simplify their steps, make them more concise and effective as they head for their career's closure. Of course that "closure" really means nothing, as Im Kwon-Taek could very well become the Manoel de Oliveira of Korea. Yet, watching something like 천년학 (Beyond the Years) was like seeing a master calligrapher use his brush as if he was drawing characters on the water. Beyond the years indeed, showing a control and finesse only one who made (great, many of them anyway) films for most of his life can show. Some critics really loved it, some hated it, even with rather nasty strings attached (a la "do we really need the nature's peace and quiet in these times?"); and moviegoers more or less ignored it, which is quite sad, not only considering it was his 100th film, but also a very troubled production from the start.
Well, now Im turns the page, and his next film already smells great on paper. Yes, paper. If you ever touched or smelled hanji, the traditional Korean paper his next film will be based on, then you'll know it has a distinctive texture (or, better, textures, as there's countless types of hanji), it's much more durable than regular paper, and has its own charms, when coupled with a fine hand holding the brush. Im's yet untitled film is still in its script writing and pre-production stages, but considering one of hanji's "capitals" is Jangseong in Northern Jeolla Province, his hometown, you can probably guess where things are going. There are rumors the film will be unveiled at the next Jeonju International Film Festival, but Im has denied they ever discussed that, as he's waiting for the full script before going forward with casting and everything else. We can only wish things will go smoothly, unlike his past film. Although that, of course, is only on paper...
[Naver News] [Naver News]
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