Take Care of My Cat

I was very impressed by this upon first viewing, a couple years ago, and boy does it hold up with the passage of time. This was Jeong's debut and it will be interesting to see what she comes up with next.

In this coming-of-age story set in a group of young women in a rather bleak and industrial Inchon, S Korea, Jeong doesn't attempt to duplicate the lushness of Naruse or the extraordinary technique of Ozu, but there's an elegance that recalls both - a real ability to look straight into the many subtle slights these women endure, along with the many moments of joy they create, and discover profundity in the everyday. The basic mechanics of the story seem (at first) simple, and the film seems very ethereal for the first 20 minutes or so, but it does coalesce into something quite memorable - the slow tempo and loping narrative makes it easy to overlook the subtle defiance and independence of spirit (and the quick moments of odd, deadpan humor) to be found underneath it all. In both look and feel, Jeong's work is of a piece with certain other leading figures in the current Asian cinematic new wave, and like the best examples of that new wave, Jeong creates a memorable style of her own.

Sweet but not sappy, occasionally tragic without sliding into gross manipulations - a film of great power. The Kino DVD looks great, no extras however.

'Take Care of My Cat' is a thoughtful, sensitive and perceptive look at the lives of a group of young Koreans living in Inchon (Seoul's port city) as they undergo the difficult transition from students to workers. The characters of the different girls, and the changing interactions between them, are depicted with considerable skill and subtlety, as the film observes how the proliferation of mobile phones in society has not necessarily eliminated loneliness, and explores the (neo-Loachian) idea of the difficulty in maintaining relationships that straddle class boundaries. For a European, the film also provides an interesting portrait of contemporary Korea; awash with modern technology, but nonetheless still suffering from a relatively impoverished urban environment. The details are convincing and fascinating; the themes universal and profound, yet the film makes its points lightly and with grace. The result is genuinely moving experience. Definitely recommended.

33-year old director Jae-eun Jeong's Take Care of my Cat is a perceptive coming of age film about five young Korean women trying to cope with the transition from high school to the adult world. Though a bit overlong and somewhat disjointed, it is an honest work that avoids genre clichés of sex, drugs, and even boyfriends. The film received a major award at the Rotterdam Film Festival in 2002, but did not gain proper recognition until its DVD release this year. The title refers to a stray kitten, Tee tee, which is passed between the five girls and, as circumstances pull their lives apart, serves as a connection between them. Set in the City of Inchon, the bleak working-class environment establishes the mood of the film. According to the director, "Inchon is a city with many immigrants who came during the war or in the 70s during industrialization. It is a city full of wanderers that matched my characters who were outsiders."

The girls are in constant movement. Whirling through the city on subways and buses between work, clubs, and restaurants, we get a sense of their optimism and energy. Programmed to play entire melodies, their cellphones ring constantly as the girls coordinate their meetings and activities. In a clever gimmick, the director floats the text messages on the screen, in bus windows, and building walls. While it took me a while to get to know each character, each one has a strong and distinctive personality and, by the end, I felt a part of their lives. Hae-joo (Yo-won Lee) is the most outgoing and self confident but can be self-absorbed and insensitive to others. Through connections made by her affluent family, she lands a job as an assistant in a brokerage firm.

Although aware of the fact that she is a "low-wage" earner without much of a future at the company, she becomes fashion-conscious, carries a Louis Vuitton bag, and is acutely conscious of her appearance, spending money on laser surgery for her eyes. When she moves to Seoul to advance her career, it further strains the relationship with the others. Ji-young (Ji-young OK) is the opposite, a soft-spoken, sensitive young woman who lives in the poorest section of town with her grandparents in a run-down shack and cannot find a good job. She lacks the means to develop her considerable potential as a designer artist and is prone to moods of sadness and withdrawal. Tae-hee, in an outstanding performance by Doo-na Bae, is the glue that holds the friendships together by arranging meetings and bringing people together.

Tae-hee works for her father in his traditional "hot-rock" healing spa and, in her spare time, types for a poet afflicted with cerebral palsy who has developed strong feelings for her. Twins Bi-ryu (Eun-shil Lee) and Ohn-jo (Eun-joo Lee) play minor roles as they try to scrape together a living hawking jewelry on the street but their characters seem included more for comic relief than to further the plot. The girl's world seems strange to the older generations but the harsh reality of survival is constant, their ambitions often at odds with the male-dominated society. Ji-young wants to be a textile designer but is unable to go to school, Hae-joo wants a respectable job in the business world, and Tae-hee dreams of escaping from the suffocating restrictions of her family, though recognizing that running away is "so tacky".

She comes into open conflict with her family in a restaurant when her traditional father, rather than admitting he can't read the menu, orders the most popular dish for everyone. Tension arises between Hae-joo and Ji-young when Hae-joo invites everyone to go on a shopping spree even though she knows that Ji-young may feel left out. Tae-hee is the most supportive and is there for Ji-young when tragedy strikes, willing to do whatever is necessary to support her. Take Care of my Cat has no peak dramatic moments, no plot contrivances that propel us toward certain emotional responses, only the sad undercurrent of the inevitability of change in a confusing world. Backed by the moody electronic sound track by Kim Jin-cheol and Byul, I found Take Care of my Cat to be a moving experience. Jae-eun Jeong does not provide easy answers as to the direction the girls will take, but, by avoiding cynicism, she allows us to see their life in terms of possibility.

This fairly low-key drama that follows the lives of a group of young girls after they graduate from high school is well-crafted and affecting. The IMDB stats confirm what is only to be expected: namely that you will especially love this film if you're a twenty-something female.

Incidentally, the average standard of Korean film amazingly high. My own policy is that any time I get the chance to see a Korean film, I do so. Regardless of whether it is a thriller or a comedy or a drama, I'm rarely disappointed - what is on offer is often excellent, and scarcely ever less than okay.

This movie works on two levels, basically the story that happens and also as a subtle progressive social commentary about the state of korea and how women are somewhat confined and the "minor" injustices they face all the time. I wouldn't go so far as to call it feminist because what alot of the movie is dealing with is just the basic struggle for existence, and how each of the girls can fit into the world somehow.

The story at first begins somewhat boring as its unclear what the purposes of the movie are, but around 20 minutes into the movie when Hye-ju rejects JiYoung's gift of the cat, and then later fails to meet her on time at a restaurant, it is clear that the movie is finally starting to move with its plot in some noticeable direction. And the way it does so is very smooth and well directed you slowly become immersed in the intricate details of thier world, which is a fundamental quality of a of a good movie. As a drama, it does its job of immersing the viewer in the emotions of its characters. I think it is a definitely progressive style drama as many other coming of age styled dramas are, and is enjoyable to watch throughout because you are always getting a realistic look at modern korean life as the story moves.

Worth watching!