[HanCinema's Film Review] "Greenhouse"

Winner of the CGV Award and the Watch Award in Busan, "Greenhouse" is a very interesting mixture of arthouse, family drama and thriller elements, which also manages to make a number of pointed comments about the current Korean society.

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Moon-jeong's life is in shambles. She works as a caretaker for an elderly couple, where the husband is gradually losing his eyesight and the wife is senile, actually believing that Moon-jeong plans to kill her. She keeps at it, though, as she is trying to raise money to buy an apartment for her and her son to live as soon as he gets out of juvenile detention. In order to save as much as possible, she is living in a makeshift vinyl greenhouse in the middle of nowhere. She sometimes sees a man, but she is not sure if she really has feelings for him. Furthermore, she suffers from some psychological issues which she tries to deal with by attending a local community therapy group. There she meets Soon-nam, a rather weird girl, who soon gets attached to her, in a way, though, that looks more like stalking than friendship. The pressure piles from all sides, and when an accident happens, Moon-jeong has to resort to extremes in order to avoid a true disaster.

The best trait of both the writing and directing of Lee Sol-hui is how he manages to connect all the varying episodes in the story in order to present a compact narrative, in a trait that is not so common in Korean cinema, where most of the episodic narratives tend to go too far in their inclusion of different arcs. However, in this case, the way even the smallest aspect of the story is eventually implemented in order for the movie to reach the shocking finale is impressive, in a rather economical approach, that may stray away from the realism basis that is central to the narrative, but definitely works for entertainment purposes.

Furthermore, and without dwelling into the twists, Lee implements the story in order to make a number of sociophilosophical comments. The issues the elderly face, particularly those who are sick, mentally or bodily, are highlighted quite eloquently, with the accusation against children who do not bother helping them, and the lack of help by the government being rather direct. At the same time, the issues caretakers face in situations as the ones Moon-jeong deals with are also showcased, painting a picture of a dead-end concept that no country in the world seems to have found a solution for, and countries with aging population, such as Korea, are having intense trouble dealing with. A third comment focuses on the mental issues many people face nowadays, and the impact they have on their everyday life, with the movie showing a number of different levels of the issue. Lastly, the philosophical comments regarding crime and punishment and the tragic irony that is connected with it, cement the rich context here, in the most intriguing and rewardingly dramatic fashion.

Lee Sol-hui's own editing is another great trait, with the way the many episodes and arcs appear within the story eventually and getting connected being impressive to watch, through a pace that is fittingly slow, considering that a large part of it revolves around an elderly couple. Granted, there are some scenes that seem to linger, but in general, the approach is quite economical. Hyung Bow's cinematography captures the different settings with realism and gusto, with the suffocation of the bathroom in the elderly apartment and the misery the greenhouse emits also being excellently embedded in the story. Some loans from Lee Chang-dong's "Burning" do appear, but not to a point that can be deemed annoying.

Kim Seo-hyung as Moon-jeong gives a great performance, with the ways she is trying to retain her positiveness and kindness against all odds being a true wonder to watch, particularly because it is accompanied by a subtle but also eloquent inner struggle. Ahn So-yo plays the unbalanced Soon-nam with gusto, while Yang Jae-sung in the role of the elderly man is rather convincing in a multileveled part. Shin Yun-sook as Hwa-ok, his wife, frequently steals the show with her disoriented and sinister behavior, which is also the main source of humor in the movie, that is actually interspersed throughout, in another trait of Lee Sol-hui's work.

"Greenhouse" is a great film that manages to combine its different elements with artistry and gusto in a rather entertaining package.

 

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"Greenhouse" is directed by Lee Sol-hui, and features Kim Seo-hyung, Yang Jae-sung, Ahn So-yo, Shin Yun-sook, Won Mi-won, Nam Yeon-woo. Release date in Korea: 2023/07/26.