L. Choi

Christmas in August: the Conventional Unconventional

Following the Korean War, South Korean film industry faced its “Golden Age”, thriving with a series of vibrant, high-quality domestic film productions. While directors during this period produced a body of work as “historically, aesthetically, and politically significant as that of other well-known national film movements such as Italian Neorealism, French New Wave, and New German Cinema” (McHugh and Abelmann 2), the dictatorship of Park Chung Hee in the late 1960s put an end to creative freedom. The South Korean cinema resurfaced in the 1990s, taking a new step and presenting films that mix a variety of genres and different sensibilities. After the 1997 International Monetary Fund economic crisis, South Korea experienced an unusually rapid growth in the film industry and faced its first “stirrings of what was to develop into a creative and commercial boom” (Paquet 37). In early 1998, in the midst of the industrial transformation, director Hur Jin-Ho released a “muted, tragic-themed melodrama” (Paquet 37) - Christmas in August. The film ranked as one of the highest grossing at the domestic box office in 1998, benefiting greatly from its casting of the two lead roles - actor Han Seok-Kyu and actress Shim Eun-Ha. The two leads carry out a natural performance throughout the film and display a remarkable chemistry with their delightfully low-key and perfect depiction of each of the protagonists. Unlike the traditional melodramas, Christmas in August bypasses the usual onscreen dramatics and focuses on the smaller, intimate moments occurring between companions and members of a family confronting the reality of a slowly approaching, unavoidable loss. Hur Jin-Ho’s Christmas in August takes an unconventional approach, keeping the plot quiet and pleasant throughout - illustrating a romantic and domestic relationship with delicacy - and also presents a subtle, peaceful visualization, inviting the audience to embrace the beauty and happiness that can come out of mere simplicity. The power of Christmas in August comes out of what the characters do not say; the subtext of their silence proves more powerful than any words. Christmas in August follows the life of Jung-won, a portrait photographer and owner of a small, local photography shop in a town named Gunsan, diagnosed with a terminal illness. During the short period he has left, he meets Da-rim, a parking officer, and seems to develop an attraction and fondness towards her. With his impending death, Jung-won carries on living his life - accepting as it is - and slowly letting his beloved friends and family learn his illness. However, the movie never dwells on the theme of death. The audience never finds out the precise nature of Jung-won’s illness, making his malady almost irrelevant. Jung-won continues on with his life rather composed, spending his remaining days cleaning up after himself, showing his refusal to be a burden on people around him. When Jung-won drunkenly informs his drinking partner about his condition, his friend believes the news to be a joke. Jung-won, instead of pressing the issue, he laughs it off, determined to enjoy the short time he has left with his friend. The scene shows the audience how Jung-won struggles every day to keep his tranquil and easygoing façade. Throughout the film, Jung-won manages to keep a calm state of mind, along with his immediate family members who hide their emotions because they understand that Jung-won will have a harder time if his own relatives break down. During this difficult time, Da-rim provides the inspiration to make Jung-won possibly fall in love once more for the last time. On top of the age difference between Jung-won and Da-rim, the two characters stand at two vastly different stages of their lives, with Jung-won’s coming to an end and Da-rim’s just beginning. While Jung-won and Da-rim never enter a full-blown romantic relationship, the film focuses on the developing relationship between the two, touching on a series of delightful - and sometimes even awkward - events that occur in a new relationship. While the interplay between Jung-won and Da-rim encounters unexpected interruptions as Jung-won’s condition suddenly worsens, their relationship never jumps on the emotional roller coaster that normally appears in other melodramas. Instead, the two character’s relationship keeps a rather lovely, pleasant sensation throughout, bringing sunshine to a potentially depressing story of death and loss. (Hur, Christmas in August) Memories - and leaving them - play a significant role in Christmas in August. While humans cannot live forever, pictures and documents hold our emotions and experiences. Jung-won’s occupation as a photographer allows him to be the captor of memories, capturing people’s lives, surroundings, and memories. As Jung-won nears his death, he carries out a series of tasks to help those around him. He painstakingly teaches his elderly father how to use the remote control by writing out the steps on a piece of paper, completely aware that his father cannot learn the steps alone. He also retakes the funeral portrait of an elderly woman, helping her come to term with her own death; he spoils her, makes her feel special and beautiful, and puts her at ease. As Jung-won feels his death approaching closely, Jung-won writes a letter to Da-rim, although he ends up keeping the letter for himself, catches a glimpse of Da-rim one last time through the window of a café and takes a self-portrait that ultimately dissolves into his funeral portrait. Although Jung-won outwardly showed his willingness to help others in need, the audience observes Jung-won as a truly selfless character, as he never expresses his own desires to those around him. Christmas in August, through the humble character of Jung-won, “captures the sublime beauty in ordinary decency, the profound pathos in quiet dignity” (KC). Christmas in August presents a warm, peaceful visualization that perfectly compliments the plotline. As most of the story takes place during the summer transitioning into autumn, the film gives the viewers a warm vibe and further enforces the pleasant feeling through the concept of aged photographs. Unlike the typical melodramas that “utilized strong contrasts between good and evil, happiness and sadness” (Paquet 49), Christmas in August is “suffused with a sort of warm glow, echoing the director’s words when he described the film as a meditation on death ‘in warm tones’” (Paquet 49). Furthermore, the film makes use of framing instruments - windows, doors, and camera lenses - to highlight the theme of capturing passing moments. Aside from his cinematic techniques and visualization, Hur distinguishes his films - including Christmas in August - from the characteristics of traditional melodramas in the past. According to Linda Williams, melodramas typically portrays the following five features:
1. Melodrama begins, and wants to end, in a space of innocence.
2. Melodrama focuses on victim-heroes and the recognition of their virtue.
3. Melodrama appears modern by borrowing form realism, but realism serves the melodramatic passion and action.
4. Melodrama involves a dialectic of passion and action - a give and take of “too late” and “in the nick of time”.
5. Melodrama presents characters that embody primary psychic roles organized in Manichaean conflicts between good and evil. (Williams 52-60)
Hur’s Christmas in August revealed itself as “groundbreaking in that the film makes very little use of the tension created by near misses and ‘in the nick of time’” (Paquet 47). Although the audience is made aware of Jung-won’s terminal illness from the very beginning of the film, the viewers neither see failed attempts at curing Jung-won’s unknown disease nor the extreme emotional ups and downs as Jung-won’s symptoms worsens. Melodramas of the past “often reveled in excess and the high drama of last-minute discoveries” (Paquet 48). However, instead of focusing solely on the protagonist’s development, the film’s portrayal of Jung-won’s quiet preparation for death encourages the viewers to relocate their attention to the people, scenery, and objects surrounding the main character. Unlike other melodramas that draw the audience with the story’s emotional drama and tension, Christmas in August creates its most memorable scenes from simply ordinary moments and finds its strength in simplicity. Christmas in August appeared as one of the most successful films as South Korean film industry entered its second commercial boom following the 1997 International Monetary Fund economic crisis. Young filmmakers during this time often mixed genres, aiming to distance their movies from the works of previous decades. However, director Hur Jin-Ho took a slightly different approach, reinventing the genre of melodrama (Paquet 52). Departing from the characteristics found in traditional melodramas, Christmas in August uses warm subtle visualization and little passing moments to inspire the audience to find happiness in simplicity. Moreover, the film follows the last days of an ordinary photographer, showing how acceptance of death and everyday humbleness can grow into pure beauty. Even without implementing tensions and dramatic struggles, Hur manages to create the perfect film that truly engages the audience, inviting everyone to embrace the idea of death and showing how every small passing moment can bring joy to one’s life.

Works Cited

Christmas in August. Dir. Jin-Ho Hur. Perf. Suk-Gyu Han and Eun-Ha Shim. 1998. DVD.
KC. "Review: Christmas In August." Review. Web log post. Back Row Banter. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2015. <https://backrowbanter.wordpress.com/tag/christmas-in-august/>.
McHugh, Kathleen, and Nancy Abelmann. South Korean Golden Age Melodrama: Gender, Genre, and National Cinema. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Paquet, Darcy. "Christmas in August and Melodrama." Seoul Searching: Culture and Identity in Contemporary Korean Cinema. Albany: State U of New York, 2007. 37-53. Print.
Williams, Linda. "Melodrama Revised." Refiguring American Film Genres: History and Theory. Berkeley: U of California, 1998. 42-81. Print.