A contrived plot and
larger than life characters threatens to turn Song Hae-sung’s gritty Failan
into a Korean version of Love Story but the film is redeemed by its sincerity,
the gorgeous cinematography of Kim Yeong Cheol, and towering performances
by Choi Min-sik, the abducted businessman in Oldboy, and angelic-looking
Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung. Adapted from a novel by Jiro Asada, Failan
(Cheung) is a young Chinese immigrant who, after losing both of her parents,
comes to Korea only to discover that her one remaining relative has emigrated
to Canada. She ends up at an employment agency seeking work but is told
that she cannot remain in Korea with just a travel visa. The film then
shifts to Inchon where Kang-jae (Choi), a low-level and thoroughly unlikable
gangster, has just been released from prison for selling pornographic video
tapes to minors.
Pushed around by his boss
Yong-sik ((Son Beyong-ho) and disrespected by fellow gang members, Kang-jae’s
life is a mess reflected in his slovenly attire and in the unkempt room
he shares with fellow porn dealer Kyung-su (Kong Hyeong-jin). He is tough
as nails on the outside but when an old lady gets the better of him in
a confrontation over protection money, a softer interior is revealed. He
dreams of buying a fishing boat and returning to his hometown but does
not have the means to do this. When his boss murders a rival gang member,
however, he offers Kang-jae the chance to get the fishing boat by taking
the rap for him and going to jail for ten years. Not having much to lose,
he reluctantly agrees but his life takes a sudden turn when he hears some
sad news.
The film then moves back
to one year ago. In order to remain in Korea, Failan agrees to a paper
marriage to Kang-jae who jumps at the chance to make some extra money,
even though the two have never met. She is sent to work as a prostitute
but is rejected when she begins to cough up blood, an issue that comes
up later in the film. Finding herself working as a laundress for an older
lady in a lovely rural setting close to the sea, all she has is a picture
of her husband smiling but buys two toothbrushes in the hope that he will
come to visit her. Appreciative of just being able to stay in the country,
she writes to Kang-jae telling him how kind he is and how much she loves
him. We learn that Failan had come to Inchon but only was able to catch
a glimpse of her husband in his video shop moments before he was arrested.
As Kang-jae reads Failan’s
letters, a shift takes place in how he begins to see himself. Discovering
the fact that someone loves him and believes in his kindness, his identification
with the young girl and her struggle is the catalyst for him to rethink
his life and discover almost a nobility of character in the process. Choi
Min-sik is one of the world’s most talented actors and, in Failan, he fully
captures the character of the repulsive gangster who begins to discover
his humanity and sensitivity. The ending is both sad and hauntingly beautiful
as we dream about all the “what-ifs” in life.