Arirang
The glorious agony of struggling directors is a theme that’s been around for as long as filmmaking itself. Kim Ki-duk’s Arirang explores the reasons and emotions behind his three-year hiatus like a no-tech documentary answer to Fellini’s 8 1/2.
(...) Kim begins with self-examination of why, after making 15 films that were internationally distributed and awarded, he has reached an impasse. He initially attributes it to trauma from an accident on the set of his last film, Dream, but gradually, it transpires that what’s holding him back is not creative block but financial.
In a swearing session delivered with machine gun speed and aggressiveness, he rants and riles at moviegoers, investors, protégés who in some way or other betrayed him. It culminates in a wish-fulfillment revenge spree that is funny for its anti-production-value statement.
(...) Kim also provides the score by belting out Arirang in a coarse but plaintive voice. This most famous of Korean folksongs expresses an abandoned woman’s feelings: She misses her lover even as she curses him. Although it’s obvious Kim identifies with her bitter lament, there is a tinge of pathos when he says “I miss all the film festivals I’ve been to.” The subtext being: he really misses filmmaking itself.
Maggie Lee, The Hollywood Reporter
Duration: 100 min
Dialogue: Korean
Subtitles: English
Age limit: K15
