Oasis

An unexpected and magical romance.
This is one of the toughest and most uncompromising love stories ever told, with the precision of a surgeon and brutality of a neutron bomb. It will be among my favorites at the end of the year.

It's the story of two mentally disabled, both of ignored and unwanted by their families and society, finding love and solace in each other. I would say more except it might ruin the experience for you, so you will have to take my word that it's great.

The story never becomes melodramatic like most Korean productions, nor does it glorify their disablements as a badge of innocence like so many Hollywood films (as Gump did). The film treats its subjects fairly without embellishment, and sheds light on the process of unwarranted societal prejudices. You might not like how the romance ends, but it is frustratingly real.

Both of the acting talents, re-united again from director's previous film Peppermint Candy, are truly impressive. Sol Kyung-gu gave his character...

A Very Good Human Drama: Excellent Acting!
"Oasis," is a very poignant film from director Lee Chang-dong. The film gives powerful acting performances by the female lead Gong-ju (Moon So-ri) and her counterpart, the male Jong-du (Sol Kyung-gu) which are both masterful. As the films narrative begins, Jong-du (Sol Kyung-gu) has been released from prison. Jong-du is a sociopath who is unable to hold a job and has been in prison three times: for attempted rape, drunkeness which caused an accident, and armed robbery. He decides to visit the family of the man who was killed by his brother. He took the rap for his brother in the accident which sent him to jail. However, the family is moving out when he arrives, leaving a seriously disabled woman [the husbands disabled sister] behind.

The woman is named Gong-ju (Moon So-ri). Moreover, Jong-du finds himself attracted to this woman, who can barely control her body: She has cerebral palsy. When he returns at a later date, however, a very disturbing event occurs [No spoilers: I...

A Very Different and Poignant Love Story...
Even in Romeo and Juliet love is being brought to the audience through an agonizing tragedy where the two families disagree with their love. Director Chang-Dong Lee utilizes a similar tragedy in his Oasis where he enlightens the viewers of a much more contemporary issue where the two protagonists find themselves rejected by their own families. However, it is within the tragedy that humanity is given an opportunity to grow and show that love does reach beyond vanity and self-importance.

The opening shot displays an embroidered depiction of something resembling an oasis emerging from underneath the shadows of the night, as a tree outside throws its nightmarish shadow over the the embroidery. The camera finally reveals a small oasis in the middle of a desert with a Indian woman, a boy, and an elephant. This initial sequence continues for almost two minutes. A time that might seem like an eternity for introducing the title of the film. However, these two minutes will also...

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