Written and directed by Ounie Lecomte, the 2009 Korean film “A Brand New Life” depicts the life of children in an orphanage. Starring young Kim Sae-ron and Park Do-yeon, the movie won the Best Asian Film Award at the 22nd Tokyo International Film Festival, as well as the jury award at the 2009 Cinekid Festival in Amsterdam.
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In the story, little girl Jin-hee (Kim Sae-ron) is struggling to adjust to a new life as she was left in a Catholic orphanage. Tragically, she could not believe the fact that her father abandoned her. She refuses to eat and clamours to go home, and the nuns have no choice but to tell her that ‘you are not going on a trip as what your father told you. Your father is a liar'. She lives cheerlessly, and even tries to commit suicide by burying herself with mud and withered grass. Eventually, she is adopted by a French couple. Through this story, Lecomte attempts to discuss the war orphans and international adoption issues back in the 1970s in Korea.
It could be difficult to convey emotions when having children as protagonists, but Ounie Lecomte sensibly sets up the melancholic mood by impressionistic toned-down colors. From the orphanage inside to the views outside, they all look greyish, flavourless and muted. The shabby clothes that Jin-hee is wearing further give a sense to the audience that the orphans are poor and miserable. Besides colour usage, the soundtrack also assists to establish a keynote of ascetic realism. As the film never uses dubbed background music, some of the quiet and silent scenes actually emphasize Jin-hee's loneliness, that she has no one to talk to.
As a child actor, Kim Sae-ron's lead performance is pretty good, except for a Jin-hee crying scene that the audience could tell that her tears are just eye drops. But overall, she is able to present the psychological changes inside her character slowly. Without exaggerated facial expressions, her acting is subtle and on point.
Kim Hyun-seok's cinematography is outstanding. While Jin-hee is hiding on the orphanage ground all day long and refuses to interact with anyone, two nuns approach and ask her to come back at sunset. The camera is placed in the same position of the eye level of Jin-hee, capturing only the nuns' legs coming closer once they enter the frame. It implies that Jin-hee keeps her eyes looking down and refuses to raise her head to communicate with the nuns. The point that she feels strange and alienated in the orphanage is well-presented by camerawork.
The story is being told in a way similar to a documentary as most camera movements are still and fixed. There are not many dialogues. It happens just as some casual moments of orphans' life are snipped into the narrative naturally. However, “A Brand New Life” does create a very gloomy tone and presents the regrets and tenderness that life could give you.
