"Striking a perfect balance between the vague, distant memories of childhood and the accuracy of a rigorous script, Ounie Lecomte makes her directorial debut with A Brand New Life, a remarkable film that has the pace and the humility of a precocious masterpiece. Lecomte's warm approach to directing envelops this bare, ascetic story of an abandoned youth with a sincerity that is as genuine as it is devastatingly moving.
Inspired by the time Lecom...
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"Striking a perfect balance between the vague, distant memories of childhood and the accuracy of a rigorous script, Ounie Lecomte makes her directorial debut with A Brand New Life, a remarkable film that has the pace and the humility of a precocious masterpiece. Lecomte's warm approach to directing envelops this bare, ascetic story of an abandoned youth with a sincerity that is as genuine as it is devastatingly moving.
Inspired by the time Lecomte spent in a Seoul orphanage run by Catholic nuns, before being adopted by a French family, the film records a formative time in the life of a little girl with insight and austere realism.
A brand new pair of shoes shines on the feet of nine-year-old Jinhee (Kim Sae-ron). Thrilled with the unexpected gift, she holds her father tightly from the rear seat of his bicycle, not wanting to let go of her cosy, sudden joy. This exceptional day calls for celebration and makes Jinhee feel like singing a song as she toasts her father, sipping soju for the first time in her life. Little does she know that those shiny shoes are destined to walk her into a new life, one she might not want but will have to learn to accept.
Sure enough, the next day Jinhee will be taken to an orphanage and unceremoniously abandoned there in the hope somebody will adopt her, leaving her father free to form a new family.
Produced by renowned novelist and master of Korean cinema Lee Chang-dong, A Brand New Life is endowed with striking intensity and effortless sincerity. The narrative and dramatic appeal find an appropriate visual translation under the intimate yet assured direction of Lecomte, and the child actors deliver excellent performances. Kim's powerful ability to portray a vast range of emotions is going to be hard to forget. From her luminous happiness in the beginning of the film to the darker disbelief and overwhelming sadness of her days at the orphanage, her stern little figure will dwell in the audience's consciousness for a long time."
Quoting Giovanna Fulvi.
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