Oasis (film)

Oasis
Theatrical poster
Hangul	오아시스
Directed by	Lee Chang-dong
Produced by	Cho Min-choul Jay Jeon
Written by	Lee Chang-dong
Starring	Sol Kyung-gu Moon So-ri
Distributed by	CJ Entertainment Cineclick Asia
Release date(s)	2002
Running time	132 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean
Budget	$1,500,000 US

Oasis (Hangul: 오아시스) (2002) is South Korea Lee Chang-dong's third feature film, and the last one he directed before his stint as South Korea's Minister of Culture. The film's plot tells about the difficult romance between a mildly mentally disabled man who was just released from jail after a two and a half year sentence for involuntary manslaughter and a woman with severe cerebral palsy. Starring in these roles are the couple from Lee Chang-dong's previous film Peppermint Candy: Sol Kyung-gu and Moon So-ri. The movie also shows how the two main characters are treated by their families and perceived by the people around them.

The film was a critical success, earning prizes in numerous film festivals. Among the most important were the special director's prize given to Lee Chang-dong at the Venice Film Festival and the Marcello Mastroianni award for best "first time" actress given to Moon So-ri at the same event.

Plot

Upon his release from prison, Hong Jong-du goes looking for his relatives in Seoul. His brothers have moved and neither they and nor their mother are aware Jong-Du is back on the streets after serving a three-year prison term for a hit-and-run accident that his older brother committed. He quickly discovers that during his absence his family has moved without telling him. Oblivious to society’s rules, Jong-Du again ends up in police custody for non-payment of a restaurant bill. He is bailed out by his brother and reunited with his estranged family who reluctantly take him back in. Slightly retarded and an incurable social misfit, Jong-Du is hired as a delivery boy for a neighborhood Chinese restaurant on the recommendation of his older brother.

In an awkward attempt at reconciliation, Jong-Du seeks out the family of the man killed in the hit-and-run accident. He finds the man’s son, Sang-Shik, in the process of moving out of the apartment. Sang-shik is leaving his Cerebral Palsy-stricken sister Gong-Ju behind to be cared for by the neighbors, while he uses her disability pension to supplement his own lifestyle. The family is horrified at Jong-Du’s intrusion and he is told to leave, but not before he has become intrigued by Gong-Ju.

Jong-Du decides to woo her by sending flowers and, while spying on Gong-Ju’s apartment, discovers where her house keys are hidden. Later, he lets himself in at a time when he knows she is alone. Trying to reassure and pacify the startled Gong-Ju, he loses control and starts to impose himself on the helpless young woman, stopping only when she faints. In classic Jong- Du fashion, he impulsively leaves his phone number in her room before he departs so that Gong-Ju would know where to find him.

Fired from his delivery job after crashing the scooter, Jong-Du is given the opportunity to work in his brother’s auto repair shop, where he also sleeps at night. A couple of days later to his surprise and delight, Gong-Ju calls him in the middle of night.

After a number of secret encounters and outings, several times nearly being discovered by Jong-Du’s brother or the neighbors, the two misfits become inseparable. Uninhibited and wanting to share her feelings with Jong-Du, Gong-Ju tells him how frightened she is of a shadow from a tree outside of her window that reflects on a picture hanging in her room. In his protective yet comforting manner, Jong-Du promises Gong-Ju that she no longer has to be afraid because he will make the shadows disappear by magic.

On their adventures outside of the apartment, the couple is faced with the harsh reality of a discriminating society but is comforted by the innocent sanctity of their shared love. When Jong-Du naively brings Gong-Ju to his mother’s birthday celebration, tempers flare. The last thing Jong-Du’s older brother wants is for him to be socializing with a family member of his hit and run victim.

Wanting to feel and be treated like a woman, Gong Ju invites Jong Du back to her apartment where they make love. When her brother arrives on a surprise visit, chaos erupts. Jong Du is arrested; charged with raping a helpless, handicapped woman. Gong Ju’s family makes sure that no one hears her side of the story. But in one final burst of passion, Jong Du escapes from the police and rushes to Gong Ju’s apartment. The couple manages to reaffirm their love as Jong Du fulfills his promise of making the shadows disappear, by climbing the tree adjacent to her apartment and cutting the branches off, before falling and being hauled off to prison.

Venice Film Festival

• Special Director's Award, Lee Chang-dong
• Marcello Mastroianni Award, Moon So-ri
• International Critics Prize
• Cinema Verine Prize

External links

• Oasis at the Internet Movie Database
• Oasis at AllRovi
• Oasis at Rotten Tomatoes
• Darcy Paquet's review at Koreanfilm.org

Preceded by Friend

Chunsa Film Art Awards for Best Film 2002

Succeeded by Memories of Murder