As the 1960s have been a period of social change and political upheaval, it took a while before these trends would make their way into a nation's culture. Whereas in Japan directors such as Nagisa Oshima or Seijun Suzuki would make movies heavily influenced by a growing conflict between the old and the young generation, in South Korea filmmakers like Jeong Jin-woo picked up the idea of a youth who wanted to be different from the generation of their parents. It was a time of transition, defined by the re-evaluation of values and the conflict of traditional and western values, represented by the rise of rock music and other events. In his 1966 feature “Early Rain”, starring actors Moon Hee and Shin Seong-il in the leading roles, Jeong Jin-woo would tell a story about shifting social roles and relationships, especially considering how much influence issues such as reputation and wealth have on a person's future.
Moon Hee plays Yeong-hui, a young woman who works as a maid in the luxurious mansion of the French ambassador. As the man of the house is usually absent and his family spends much time inside the mansion, there is very little to do for Yeong-hui who has a lot of time for herself, fantasizing how life would be if she was rich. When she is given an expensive raincoat by her employers (a gift from the ambassador the daughter has no use for), she is over the moon, especially since she likes rainy days, and decides to show it off to her friends in town. However, the reactions to her new outer appearance are nothing like she imagined, with most of the young costumers at a bar making fun of her, except for Cheol (Shin Seong-il), who is quite taken by her beauty and her supposed wealth.
At the end of the evening, when Cheol brings her to the ambassador's mansion, Yeong-hui decides to keep up the illusion that she comes from a rich family and tells him, she is the politician's daughter. As she is also under the impression Cheol comes from a wealthy background, she thinks her dream might finally come true, so consequently, they start dating and seeing each other whenever there is a rainy day. However, as their relationship becomes increasingly serious, both of them feel the need to come clean, but are afraid to endanger their bond with a confession like that.
On the surface, “Early Rain” seems like a story of mistaken identity, a blend of romance, drama and a bit of comedy which seems to have been inspired by somewhat similar Hollywood movies. While a certain influence is undeniable, the concept of identity, which hints at issues like class and social hierarchy, goes much deeper, showing the significance of materialism and wealth within Korean society (or any culture for that matter). Director Jeong Jin-woo and cinematographer Yoo Jae-hyeong portray the rich as keeping a certain distance to the rest of society, leading a life which seemingly has little in common with the norm and which is in fact protected, as indicated by the large wall and barbed wire surrounding the ambassador's mansion. It is both a beautiful bubble and fantasy to characters like Yeong-hui who gives in to the illusion, as she looks forward to a rainy day, when she has the large garden of the house all to herself and, of course, she can wear her expensive raincoat.
However, this illusion is not just present in details like the costumes and the sets, but also in the characters, or more precisely, the transformation they are going through. Moon Hee and Shin Seong-il give great performances, though at times a bit exaggerated and melodramatic, as people transformed by the image they try to uphold in front of their lover. Especially Cheol, who is really a mechanic working for a small wage and who “borrows” the cars from his costumers for his dates with Yeong-hui, is increasingly stressed out by maintaining the illusion of wealth, a development which is bound to have tragic consequences. The deception for the lover becomes a deception of yourself, a conflict between two identities that seems to hint at the struggle to lead a different and fulfilling life.
In conclusion, “Early Rain” is a blend of drama and romance. While perhaps influenced by Hollywood movies, Jeong Jin-woo manages to direct a movie indicative of a crisis in identity for a young generation set on leading a different life than their parents, but held back by issues like reputation and materialism.
