Blu-Ray Review: Brilliant Dissection of Faith in ‘Secret Sunshine’

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CHICAGO – The partnership between IFC and The Criterion Collection has led to a number of great releases (“A Christmas Tale,” “Che”) and a few questionable entries (“Life During Wartime”) but rarely has it completely unearthed a film as little-seen as Lee Chang-Dong’s brilliant “Secret Sunshine.” This award-winning dissection of faith amidst tragedy never even received a Chicago release as far as I can remember but it absolutely deserves a wider audience. This is a great film given a strong release by the DVD/Blu-ray series ever.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0

“Secret Sunshine” opens with a striking (especially in HD) shot of blue sky and ends with a shot of dull earth. The journey from that opening image to the final one is a harrowing, melodramatic saga that will work your emotional nerves and force you to ask questions about the use of faith and religion. This is a dark piece but an impressive, rewarding one at the same time, featuring an incredible central performance and a challenging screenplay from an internationally-acclaimed filmmaker.

Secret Sunshine was released on Criterion Blu-ray and DVD on August 23rd, 2011
Secret Sunshine was released on Criterion Blu-ray and DVD on August 23rd, 2011
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection

Lee Shin-ae (Cannes Best Actress winner Jeon Do-Yeon, recently seen in “The Housemaid”) has returned to her recently-deceased husband’s home town of Miryang (which means “Secret Sunshine” in Chinese) with her young son. She is a clearly-troubled woman, one dealing with undefined issues of the past that have so damaged her that even her family dismisses her. Oddly enough, the first local she meets, Jong-chan (the great Song Kang-ho of “The Host,” “Thirst,” and “The Good, The Bad, The Weird”), falls for her and acts not unlike a stray puppy for the rest of the film. In many ways, he is our eyes into the story of Shin-ae, following her and hoping for the best but also not really understanding her plight in a complete way.

Secret Sunshine was released on Criterion Blu-ray and DVD on August 23rd, 2011
Secret Sunshine was released on Criterion Blu-ray and DVD on August 23rd, 2011
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection

After dealing with local gossip and drama for a little while, the real tragedy of “Secret Sunshine” kicks in when Shin-ae’s son is kidnapped and killed. For some time, Shin-ae walks around in a daze, almost as if she’s unable to cope with the devastation. She stumbles into a prayer meeting and appears to be saved by what she finds there. But the final act of “Secret Sunshine” represents a fascinating dissection of, well, some emotional loopholes in the theory that everyone can be forgiven. The film is a daring commentary on how turning to God in times of need can sometimes be more problematic than worthwhile. It is a complex, incredible drama. Don’t miss it.

The Criterion release is a bit underwhelming when it comes to special features but this transfer is stunning. “Secret Sunshine” is a surprisingly bright film with many scenes outdoors or in rooms surrounded by windows. Lee purposefully uses the outdoors excessively to ask the most important recurring question of the film — is God watching? And the movie looks stunning in HD. If you can, try and catch it on Blu-ray before the next surprising IFC/Criterion release hits the market.

Special Features:
o New digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Lee Chang-Dong and cinematographer Cho Yong-kyu, with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
o New video interview with Lee
o On the Set of “Secret Sunshine”
o U.S theatrical trailer
o New and improved English subtitle translation
o A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Dennis Lim

“Secret Sunshine” stars Jeon Do-yeon and Song Kang-ho. It was written and directed by Lee Chang-dong. It was released on Criterion Blu-ray and DVD on August 23rd, 2011.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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