Peppermint candy (1999) explanation in english. Peppermint Candy (1999).Korean movie.

 

Title: Peppermint Candy (1999)

Language: Korean

Release date: January 1, 2000 (South Korea)

Director: Lee Chang-dong

Box office: $77,197

Produced by: Myeong Gye-nam; Makoto Ueda

Director: Lee Chang-dong

IMDb: 7.7/10

Plot:

Backtracking from his suicide as a broken and depressed man, this film recounts the life of Yong-ho in reverse order.

Lee Chang-dong (LCD), known for his outstanding visual storytelling, starts each segment with the train moving backward while everything moves forward. DOP Kim Hyung-koo shows realistic depiction of the various era in South Korean history. Recurring motifs include peppermint candy, streams, train, and train tracks symbolizing innocence, memory, time, and fate.

The poignant story becomes more heart-wrenching with heart-rending BGM and soundtracks. The same song was sung with deep anguish in the opening but livelier at the closing scene is a brilliant depiction of how one’s perspective about life changes in time.

The well-written character development makes the audience relate to the life of the MCs. Sol Kyung-gu essays Yong-ho’s character with utmost rawness as if watching his real-life first hand. His physical transformation with 20 years timeline difference is realistic. Kim Yeo- jin does an outstanding performance in giving life to Hongja, and Moon So-ri gives justice to her role as Yun Sun-im.

Film editor Hyun Kim is notable for keeping the film tight, and solid. This character-driven narrative unfolds how youth is driven away from his aspiration in parallel with the agonizing political history of South Korea.The reverse chronological storytelling is artfully done with spot-on foreshadowing. Starting with a climax is quite bold keeping you wonder how the story will be woven together. With LCD's craftsmanship, everything fits perfectly in the end. The integration of social issues, and metaphors add more depth to the story. In the end, society is the antagonist.

Peppermint Candy is a powerful drama about the stirring portrayal of man’s disintegration and society’s cruelty. It leaves an unspeakable agony and regret that resonate with the audience. The film engages the viewers in retrospection about life and contemplation whether to live in the past or move forward.