I Wish I Had a Wife
Director: Park Heung-sik
Year: 2001
Rating: 6.5
Country: Korea
This is a very sweet quiet Korean romantic drama in which no one hits anyone,
no one throws up and no one dies from a disease. That was a plus in my book.
It is very understated with two low-key at times opaque performances from
two of Korea's finest actors, Sol Kyung-gu (Peppermint Candy, Oasis) and
Jeon Do-yeon (The Housemaid, You Are My Sunshine). There is no real drama
here - no melodrama - no tear-jerk scenes - no explosive passion shown. This
is unusual for a film industry that has mastered the art of emotional manipulation.
You keep waiting for the big moment and it never arrives. It is just a slow
build of two very ordinary shy working people falling in love. There is nothing
special about these two - both in mundane jobs - him in a bank, she is a
teacher. What they have in common is loneliness and a yearning urge to be
with someone they care for. And time is ticking.
Bong-soo (Kyung-gu) begins the film by making a recording for his future
hoped for wife. In it he tells her how much he loves her. His days pass in
desultory fashion - work late, go home, on some nights get together with
his friend to have a drink. When this friend announces that he is getting
married, Bong-soo wonders why everyone can find someone except for him. But
he is completely oblivious to Wong-ju who he keeps bumping into or passing
on the street. She hasn't had any more luck than him. One of her girl students
is crying - she asks why, are the other students making fun of you? Yes,
they tell me I look like you. Wong-ju magically turns a grimace into a grin.
In the film Wong-ju with her glasses, bulky clothes and no make up is suppose
to be plain - but she is downright adorable. We know these two are meant
for one another - because otherwise what would be the point of the film.
But when will they realize it? When another woman shows up and Bong-soo becomes
attracted to her, it is all you can do not to shout- no, no no.
That is not the one. And of course it isn't.
It is a film full of small everyday scenes - waiting for a bus, eating noodles,
chatting with friends - but that is also its strength. It is directed by
Park Heung-sik who had been assistant director for Christmas in August (if
you want to weep that is the film for you) and has gone on after this his
debut to direct My Mother, The Mermaid and Memories of the Sword, both with
Jeon Do-yeon.
