A BRAND NEW LIFE
Korea/France, 2009, 90 minutes, Colour.
Kim Saeron.
Directed by Ounie Lecomte.
A Brand New Life is a semi-autobiographical film by its writer-director, Ounie Lecomte.
Ounie herself was an orphan, abandoned by her natural father, in 1975 in Seoul. She spent some time at the convent orphanage of the Sisters of St Paul? of Chartres. From there she was adopted into a French family – and has lived in France most of her life, losing her knowledge of Korean.
After acting as an assistant director, production designer, she made a short film and wrote a screenplay based on her early life, not an exact account, but trying to project back into the mind of a little girl what it was like to be abandoned by her father and put in an institution. She sent the text of her screenplay to the celebrated Korean director Lee Chang Dong (Oasis, Secret Sunshine). He improved the dramatic content on the film and acted as one of the producers.
The film is very moving. Kim Saeron is quite extraordinary in her personification of the orphan, angry, spiteful, irritating to the audience at times, yet demanding compassion for the situation in which she found herself. The sisters are sympathetic, the principal of the orphanage eventually tries to track down her family but they have moved. The nurse is an interesting character insofar as she takes no nonsense from the little girl, disciplines her, but also has a sense for the little girl’s needs to vent her anger.
The film seems authentic. The children who act as orphans are quite persuasive. There are moving moments when they all sing Auld Lang Syne in Korean when one of their number is adopted.
Ultimately, the film is quite moving, and offers insight into the psychology of a little girl in such a situation. It is a tribute to herself and to her adopted family that she has been able to succeed so well in her career.
1.The work of the director, her own story, in retrospect, imagining again what it was like to be a girl of this age in such situations?
2.Seoul in 1975, the city, the countryside, the orphanage? The realism?
3.The atmosphere, the songs, the hymns, the little girl singing, the musical score?
4.The introduction to Jinhee, age nine, her bond with her father, loving him, the meal and her enjoyment, singing him a song, kissing him? The trip in the bus, her having to get out of the bus to relieve herself? Her foot stuck in the mud, her father washing her feet? Buying the cake, her choice? His leaving, his being generally seen in shadow rather than as a person?
5.The indications later of reasons for her being sent to the orphanage, the father’s new family, her injuring the baby with a safety pin? Her feelings of guilt, her explanation to the authorities of how she felt?
6.Jinhee and the orphanage, going on the tour, remembering the cake, seeing her father leave, the children eating the cake, the younger in preference to the older? Her anger, throwing the meal on the floor, Sookhee and her cleaning it up? Their playing the fortune-telling game? On the gate, wanting to run away, the nurse allowing her to leave, her going, coming back? Her refusal of the new clothes? Her tantrums, the dolls, breaking them, the nurse slapping her? Allowing her to smash the mat with the baseball? (**bat?) The principal, her interviews with him, his explanations about her father leaving her, her giving him the address, his search, not finding her family? The range of girls, their life, the dormitories, playing the fortune-telling game, the lame girl and her singing, the mass, the Christmas gifts, Jinhee smashing the dolls, going outside and digging her grave, covering herself with the dirt?
7.The portrayal of unhappiness, anger, venting the anger, scapegoating the other girls? Her hopes? The experience of betrayal by her father, assuming all people lied?
8.The genial nuns and their kindness? The principal doing his best? The nurse, her discipline, yet her insights into training Jinhee?
9.The new family, the ritual of orphans leaving and the girls singing Auld Lang Syne? The airport, the flight, her dream about her father taking her away? Meeting her new family?
10.The film as experiencing the feelings of a nine-year-old, her not having explanations, resources to deal with the crisis? The staff and their ability to help – or not? Yet the director turning out as a mature woman with a career?
