[HanCinema's Film Review] "The Maiden Who Went to the City" + Full Movie

The bus transport during the 80s in Seoul, was a rather large business, which, as the film presents from the beginning, was dominated by a multilayered system of corruption. Starting with the fact that the female conductors did not have to present the customers who paid for the fair with any kind of receipt, thus could easily take some of the fare for themselves, the pilfering was then progressed upwards. The drivers also demanded a cut, otherwise they could just not allow for many passengers to get on the bus. The conductors had to turn in the money to the company's cashier after a full round of the vehicle, and when the income was too low, a female employee searched them for hidden revenue, occasionally in the most degrading way. However, the conductors just cut those women their share and managed to escape that level of control also. Some of the higher ups also got their cut, but also got bribes from various peddlers who would go on the bus to sell their stuff. The conductors, usually women who came from the country, lived in dorms provided by the bus company, and essentially, everyone knew what was going on but no one was talking, since everyone was in on the trick.

Advertisement

It is in this setting that Lee Moon-hee, a young woman who has just arrived from the country, finds herself in, and desperately tries to be honest and not steal. As the man who hires her states, her degrees, CV and letter of recommendation do not amount to anything, since the only thing required from her is not to filch. Despite the hardships of the job, Moon-hee remains honest and tries to save enough money to change her life. Eventually, she meets one of the aforementioned peddlers, Kwang-seok, who aso doubles as a teacher of English during the night, and falls in love with him. Their relationship, however, is anything but easy, while the girl also finds herself in trouble with one of the drivers.

The story also focuses on two more colleagues. Yeong-ok is the exact opposite of Moon-hee, as she tries to pilfer money any way she can. After getting ditched by her boyfriend, she strikes up a relationship with one of the drivers, with the two making plans to buy their own taxi. The young man, however, is proven to be something completely different than what he seemed in the beginning. Lastly, Seong-ae seems to be completely in over her head with what she is facing, even using a pacifier to sleep, and eventually, her psychological status takes a significant toll on her.

Veteran of more than 100 movies Kim Soo-yong tries to combine an intriguing story with social comments, and for the most part, he succeeds in both. The tale of the three women is quite captivating, maybe with the exception of Seong-ae, who has a small role that is mostly impactful in dramatic terms during the end, particularly after their romantic interests come into play. Kim makes a rather eloquent remark here, presenting the women in the film as capable individuals who know what they want, and the men as conniving womanizers, losers who need to be taken by the hand in order to walk in the right path. At the same time, however, he also makes a point of showing that no matter how many times they screw up, men in the patriarchal Korean society will always get more chances, while women will find themselves in despair, no matter how hard they try. The fact that both protagonists share the shame fate essentially, despite their completely opposite mentality, highlights this comment rather eloquently, while inducing the narrative with an intense melodramatic element, particularly in the finale.

A special place in the overall critique is held for the inhumane measure of the strip search, which gets worse as time passes, with the closed doors in the room it is happening eventually opening, while the last scene, that also includes a number of men watching the whole procedure, makes the whole concept utterly horrific, particularly due to Moon-hee's screams. The finale essentially functions as a cry for the whole concept to stop, again in melodramatic fashion. Lastly, a last aspect of the movie functions as a tour guide to the urban setting of Seoul, with the recurring scenes of streets filled with buses highlighting the main theme of the movie, while showing how busy the city was at the time. Chun Jo-myuong's rather artful cinematography finds its apogee in those scenes, and the aforementioned, while the effort to present a setting that is claustrophobic both literally and metaphorically, inside the dorm, the bus and the search room, is definitely successful. Lee Do-won's editing implements a rather fast pace that also suits the overall aesthetics to perfection, in another great element of the movie.

The acting is also on a very high level. Yoo Ji-in as Moon-hee is great in her timid but resolved effort to stay honest against all odds, while the moment that everything comes crashing are the highlights of an overall great performance. Lee Young-ok as the feisty Yeong-ok is a joy to watch every time she appears on the film, with her charisma filling the screen in the most entertaining way.

Granted, there are moments where Lee loses his sense of measure, with the talent show, the very finale, and a number of other instances being rather excessive, but as a whole, the movie emerges as a rather successful one both in entertainment (through the story) and contextual terms (through the comments).

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

___________

"The Maiden Who Went to the City" is directed by Kim Soo-yong, and features Yoo Ji-in, Lee Young-ok, Geum Bo-ra, Kim Man, Han Ji-il, Twist Kim. Release date in Korea: 1981/12/03.