South Korean film Angaemaeul gives an honest albeit veiled account of sexual hypocrisy practiced by villagers of an ordinary village. It is through the arrival of a lady school teacher and her subsequent stay in the village that a lot of hidden secrets are revealed. This film is also known to erudite viewers as 'Village of Haze". It is one of the early films on which South Korean auteur director Im Kwon Taek left his artistic impressions especially in the manner he has handled the portrayal of a controversial topic on screen. With the story moving at a relatively slow pace, 'village of haze' keeps its viewers glued to their seats through its meticulous depiction of the ordinary lives of villagers who always find an outlet to release their frustrations by tormenting a hapless vagabond. Although the film is set in a remote village in South Korea, the universal connotations of its story cannot be undermined at all as similar behavioral patterns can also be found in countless other countries. Based on a short story called "The Island of Anonymity" written by Lee Mun Yeol, Village of Haze features excellent acting performances by veteran actor Ahn Sung Ki as the vagabond who silently suffers all atrocities heaped on him by dishonest villagers. Despite its risqué theme of sexual hypocrisy in a small village, Angaemaeul is not at all an explicit film. In essence, it is a perfect film for admirers of South Korean cinema especially those viewers who have necessary knowledge about director Im Kwon Taek and his films.
