This Charming Girl

Lee Yoon-Ki’s “This Charming Girl 여자, 정혜” is rather unremarkable story-wise. This is not to say the topic of the aftermath of childhood rape is not a worthwhile subject; it is simply that Lee does not offer any new insight into the matter. This does not mean this is an unremarkable film. Lee uses the camera to let us not so much watch our heroine, Jeong-Hae, but be with her. We are never too far and rarely too close to her. We are like the angels in Berlin Alexanderplatz watching over the internal struggle of our character. Slowly we come to understand the pain and struggle of Jeong-Hae’s everyday life. It is this unique and sensitive eye that makes “This Charming Girl” a truly remarkable film. It is so easy to start explaining, to start tapping emotions, to give into anger; but Lee chose to simple let us be Jeong-Hae’s friend. The result is that we understand her experience so much better that any other film on the same subject; and we should thank him for that.