Oasis (2002 film)
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''Oasis'' () is a 2002
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n
psychological drama Psychological drama or psychodrama is a sub-genre of drama that places emphasis on psychological elements. It often overlaps with other genres such as crime, fantasy, black comedy, and science fiction, and it is closely related with the psychologi ...
romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...
film directed by Lee Chang-dong. The film's plot tells about the difficult romance between a mildly mentally disabled man who has just been released from jail after a -year sentence for
involuntary manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th c ...
and a woman with severe
cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...
. Starring in these roles are the couple from Lee Chang-dong's previous film ''
Peppermint Candy ''Peppermint Candy'' () is a 1999 South Korean drama film by Lee Chang-dong, his second. The film opens with the implied suicide of the protagonist and uses reverse chronology to depict some of the key events of the past 20 years of his life th ...
'':
Sol Kyung-gu Sol Kyung-gu (born May 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Public Enemy (2002 film), Public Enemy'' film series, ''Peppermint Candy'', ''Oasis (2002 film), Oasis'', ''Silmido (film), Silmido'', ''Hope (2013 film ...
and
Moon So-ri Moon So-ri (born July 2, 1974) is a South Korean actress, film director and screenwriter. She is best known for her acclaimed leading roles in ''Oasis'' (2002) and ''A Good Lawyer's Wife'' (2003). Career After graduating with a degree in Educa ...
. The movie also shows how the two main characters are treated by their families and perceived by the people around them. The film was a critical success, earning prizes in numerous film festivals. Among the most important were
Silver Lion for Best Direction The Silver Lion ( it, Leone d'argento, also known as Silver Lion for Best Direction) is an annual award presented for best directing achievements in a feature film at official competition section of the Venice Film Festival since 1998. The pri ...
and the Special Director's prize given to Lee Chang-dong at the
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
and the
Marcello Mastroianni Award The Marcello Mastroianni Award (Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian la ...
for Emerging Actor or Actress given to Moon So-ri at the same event.


Plot

Upon his release from prison, Hong Jong-du (
Sol Kyung-gu Sol Kyung-gu (born May 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Public Enemy (2002 film), Public Enemy'' film series, ''Peppermint Candy'', ''Oasis (2002 film), Oasis'', ''Silmido (film), Silmido'', ''Hope (2013 film ...
) goes looking for his relatives in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
. He is back on the streets after serving a two-and-a-half-year prison term for a
hit-and-run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...
accident. He discovers that during his absence, his family moved without telling him. Oblivious to society's rules, he again ends up in police custody for non-payment of a restaurant bill. He is bailed out by his younger brother Jong-sae (
Ryoo Seung-wan Ryoo Seung-wan (born December 15, 1973) is a South Korean film director. Early life Ryoo Seung-wan was born in 1973 in Onyang, a small town in South Chungcheong Province. With the choice of domestic films mostly limited to propaganda and hostes ...
) and reunited with his estranged family, who reluctantly take him back in. Slightly mentally disabled and an incurable social misfit, Jong-du is hired as a delivery boy for a Chinese restaurant on the recommendation of his older brother Jong-il (
Ahn Nae-sang Ahn Nae-sang (born December 25, 1964) is a South Korean actor. He began his career on the stage, and in 1994 made his film debut in the Bong Joon-ho short film ''Baeksekin'' ("White Man" or "White-collar worker"), followed by Jang Sun-woo's ''B ...
). In an awkward attempt at reconciliation, Jong-du seeks out the family of the man killed in the accident. He finds the man's son, Han Sang-shik (
Son Byong-ho Son Byong-ho (born August 25, 1962) is a South Korean actor. Son is known for his role in action films, notably, ''R-Point'' (2004), '' Running Wild'' (2006), ''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) and ''Insu, The Queen Mother ''Insu, the Qu ...
) is moving out and leaving behind his
cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...
-stricken sister Gong-ju (
Moon So-ri Moon So-ri (born July 2, 1974) is a South Korean actress, film director and screenwriter. She is best known for her acclaimed leading roles in ''Oasis'' (2002) and ''A Good Lawyer's Wife'' (2003). Career After graduating with a degree in Educa ...
) to be cared for by the neighbors while he uses her disability status to get a better subsidized apartment where he pretends she is living. The family is horrified at Jong-du's intrusion, but he becomes intrigued by Gong-ju. Jong-du decides to woo her by sending flowers and discovers where her house keys are hidden. He lets himself in at a time when he knows she is alone. He awkwardly make conversation and leaves his card for her to call him if she wants. Leaving, he notices and becomes interested in her feet, claiming to have never seen a woman's bare foot before. Gong-ju is startled and distressed at this extremely invasive comment from a complete stranger. Trying to pacify the startled Gong-ju, Jong-du loses control and starts to sexually assault the helpless woman, stopping only when she faints. Fired from his job after crashing the scooter, Jong-du is given the opportunity to work in his brother's auto repair shop, where he also sleeps at night. A couple of days later to his surprise, Gong-ju calls him in the middle of night. After a number of secret encounters and outings, nearly being discovered by their families or the neighbors, the two misfits become inseparable. Gong-ju tells him how frightened she is of a shadow from a tree outside her window. Jong-du promises her that she no longer has to be afraid because he will make the shadows disappear by magic. On their adventures outside of the apartment, the couple is faced with the harsh reality of a discriminating society but is comforted by the innocent sanctity of their love. When Jong-du naively brings Gong-ju to his mother's birthday celebration, tempers flare and viewers learn that his older brother was the actual culprit of the hit-and-run: his family was glad when Jong-du volunteered to go to jail in his place. Wanting to be treated like a woman, Gong-ju invites Jong-du back to her apartment, where they make love. When her brother arrives on a surprise visit, chaos erupts. Jong-du is arrested and charged with raping a handicapped woman. Gong-ju's family and the police ignore Gong-ju who is too overcome with emotion and distress at the misunderstanding to make herself heard or understood. In a final burst of passion, Jong-du escapes from the police and rushes to Gong-ju's apartment. The couple reaffirms their love as Jong-du fulfills his promise of making the shadows disappear by climbing the tree and cutting the branches off. He then falls and is hauled off to prison, having committed several additional crimes in his trip to see Gong-ju whose exoneration can no longer fully protect him. In the last scene, Gong-ju is cleaning her apartment alone, while Jong-du's voice is heard reading a letter to her, promising to come back when he is released.


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * *
Darcy Paquet's review at Koreanfilm.org
{{Paeksang Arts Award Best Film 2002 films 2002 romantic drama films 2000s psychological drama films South Korean romantic drama films South Korean independent films Films about people with cerebral palsy Films directed by Lee Chang-dong Films set in Seoul 2000s Korean-language films CJ Entertainment films 2002 drama films 2000s South Korean films Films about disability