Poetry (2010)
"Shi" (original title)

A sixty-something woman, faced with the discovery of a heinous family crime and in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, finds strength and purpose when she enrolls in a poetry class.

Director:

Chang-dong Lee

Writer:

Chang-dong Lee

Stars:

Jeong-hie Yun, Da-wit Lee, Hira Kim

18 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jeong-hie Yun	...	Mija
Da-wit Lee	...	Jongwook
Hira Kim	...	M. Kang
Nae-sang Ahn	...	Kibum's father
Myeong-shin Park	...	Heejin's mother
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yong-taek Kim

Storyline

A sixty-something woman, faced with the discovery of a heinous family crime and in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, finds strength and purpose when she enrolls in a poetry class.

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Plot Keywords:

poetry | poetry class | alzheimer's disease | class | bus terminal | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [fr] Official site [jp]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

11 February 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Poetry

Box Office

Budget:

KRW 1,300,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$18,900 (USA) (11 February 2011)

Gross:

$355,044 (USA) (12 August 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

UniKorea Pictures, Pine House Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.6 (2011)

User Reviews

Poignant and deeply human

There's an outstanding outward composure pervading this movie, to the point that it seems impossible not to feel in the end a sense of calm, although the cruelty of some situations. This is probably a typical feature of all oriental pictures and culture as well, but here it is most evident, almost therapeutic. The protagonist is a small, meek, cheerfully dressed, sixty-something woman, in the early stages of Alzheimer's, who has to look after her troublesome grandson, dramatically connected with a shocking event in the small Korean city where they live. It's a slow movie, which leaves ample scope to the unsaid and the unwritten, but dripping with strong and deep humanity. Mija reveals such determination in her simple and peaceful going on, holding on, she proves the real strength of real strong people, that strength that does not need any evident outward demonstrations, but only the inner will of a meek nature who continues to see the beauty of a flower or the perfection of an apple, and the beauty of poetry, of course, against the ugliness of men (and here the ugliness of a male chauvinist society is to be underlined). The movie reveals such delicacy, such subtlety and tact while approaching the most disturbing topics, that we as viewers can manage everything, feeling a kind of respect towards us, and feeling also grateful for that. Great work by the director Lee Chang-dong then, and standing ovation for Yun Jung-hee for her intense, poignant, stunning interpretation of Mija. The last shots on her finally achieved poem are petrifying and soothing at the same time, showing an incredible emotional intensity. These are movies that should reach the big screen more often and more widely.