Jong-du, who has three previous convictions, pays a visit to the family of the victim in the hit-and run accident for which he served time and meets Gong-ju, the daughter, who has cerebral palsy. Jong-du is fascinated by her at first sight and visits her again when he knows she is alone. Trying to reassure and pacify the terrified young woman, he loses control and tries to rape her, stopping only when she faints. But he has left his workshop phone number in her room, and Gong-ju knows where to find him. To Jong-du's amazement, she calls him and invites him to visit her again. Over a series of clandestine meetings, the handicapped young woman and the feckless young man come to fall in love with each other. However their love is not one that is understood by anyone else.
Story: After serving a prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter, Chong-du is greeted by his family and friends with a lukewarm reception. Finding it difficult to adjust back to common life, he makes an effort to contact the family of the man killed in the car accident; partially out of amusement and partially out of the desire to apologize. Upon arrival, he finds Kong-ju, the man's cerebral palsy inflicted daughter who spends her days alone dreaming of a fantasy world. The two slowly form a bond that is at times both beautiful and disturbing.
Review: I love a heavy film. I am in constant search of the raw emotion that comes from a good drama; the ups and downs, the laughter and the tears, and all components that go into a story about a life that truly Breathes. It is not too often that all those elements come together for me in the same film. Fortunately, though, I was lucky enough to find such a film with Oasis. Director Chang-dong Lee Has managed to craft a genuine tale of two lost souls searching for that certain something, albeit in a rather unusual place. Through the arc of the story we find Jong-du (Kyung-gu Sol), a man at the end of his rope after many bad choices. Lost and without direction, he lives life from day to day without a care in the world. Lacking in both common sense and book smarts Jong-du is forced to make do with what nature has allowed him. Unfortunately "making do" almost always blows up in his face. Through it all he manages to survive and keep a fairly good outlook on life.
His path eventually intersects with that of Gong-ju (So-ri Moon), a young woman suffering from a crippling ailment that keeps her separated from the world outside. Unable to properly articulate HERself, she lives her days in a fantasy world of her own. When Jong-du comes into the picture, the two ultimately find the missing piece that makes their lives complete.
This film has so many great nuances. First off, the acting was absolutely unbelievable. So-ri Moon's performance as Jong-du by far outshines any other physical performance I have seen in years. The true key to this is how flawlessly she manages to contort her body to convey the pain that her disease causes her. From her twisting, almost comical face, to the sharp, stiff gestures her appendages make, each tiny movement is like a ballet when one takes into consideration that these positions are not naturally her own. Kyung-gu Sol's performance is also not without merit. My previous exposure to this actor came in the form of the somewhat insane cop in PUBLIC ENEMY. The Kyung-gu Sol of Oasis though is almost a completely different actor. In Oasis, he manages to successfully portray the role of an idiot. Now easy as that may sound, it is not. His idiot is not just a fool, but a flower in which each falling petal unveils a new layer and depth to the character.
Every good story has conflict. Otherwise the characters would have no opposition and they would be left to blissfully gallivant through their make believe world. The characters of Oasis are beset on both sides by family members who do not approve of their relationship. Jong-du's family sees Gong-ju as just another bad mistake and a handicapped person to be pitied and left alone. Gong-ju's family sees Jong-du as the murderer of their father and a man incapable of causing them anything but harm. With the family's disapproval, Gong-ju and Jong-du are forced to see one another against the wishes of their family which ultimately test the strength of their love for one another.
Oasis is unlike any other love story you are likely to see. Whether it is due to the taboos involving the handicapped, or the fact that reproducing these two beautifully unique characters would be almost impossible, is up to the viewer. Either way, Oasis is a film that pushes the limits, and tests the waters of the heart for anyone willing to ask themselves, "How much can you love someone?"
His 2000 festival-pleaser Peppermint Candy made Korean writer/director Lee Chang-dong one of Asia's hot new arthouse properties. With Oasis, his third feature, he puts his talent for unusual stories and finely-nuanced characters (he is also a novelist) to good use to further that reputation. A memorable film about the love Between two misfits - one socially, the other physically disabled - it sticks in the mind well beyond the final credits. But it's not always an easy ride for the audience, and in commercial terms, is unlikely to be Lee's breakout movie, although it should extend the arthouse market already carved out by Candy. The film was internationally recognised with a Special Director's Prize at Venice, and will play Vancouver and London after its Toronto engagement. In South Korea it heads the box office, having taken $1.58m from 20 screens after three weeks.On the surface, a love affair Between a drifter fresh out of jail and a girl with cerebral palsy sounds perfect for the Hollywood schmaltz treatment. Lee, though, laces the tender emotion with high farce. Other moments make his audience squirm in their seats, including one attempted rape scene, where warm indulgence turns to shock and disbelief in a few seconds. In the end, though, these rough edges, and audience reluctance to be too charmed by the likeable but unstable male protagonist, give the story a gritty reality that is driven home by Choi Young-taek's unsentimental Steadicam photography.The best thing about this film, though, is Hong Jong-du: a fine comic-dramatic creation brought to life by Candy lead Sol Kyung-gu. He's a universally-recognised congenital chancer, in and out of jail, always sniffing back a cold, jigging his legs and looking elsewhere when people tell him what a good-for-nothing he is.
He is first seen freezing in the Korean winter, just released from prison and only wearing the summer clothes he had when he went in. Oblivious to social conventions, he is constantly putting his foot in it, as when he takes flowers round to the family of the man he was imprisoned for killing in a road accident. It is here that he meets Han Gong-ju, the dead man's daughter, a cerebral palsy victim who has been abandoned by her brother and left with neighbours.Although their first tete a tete is a disaster, (Jong-du loses control and tries to rape Gong-ju), subsequent meetings are more promising, and a love affair blossoms Between the two outcasts. Moon So-ri, who won the MarCello Mastroianni Prize for new talent at Venice, puts in a fine performance as the young, bright woman trapped in a body that bears no relation to her self image. Her desperate desire to be normal boils over into dream sequences that are spliced unobtrusively into the action, including one where figures on a woven "Oasis" rug come to life and dance around the room. The tragi-comic ending would ooze sentiment in the hands of a less able director; but Lee gives it a surprising depth.
All the pictures
