Young director Kim Lok-kyoung debuted in 2022 with “Festival”, a film that revolved around Korean funeral traditions with a touch of comedy. His sophomore work, “Jinju’s Pearl”, also deals with something traditional and, more precisely, with the loss of it.
Jinju’s Pearl is screening at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
After a graciously animated opening sequence – that we will be able to understand better later in the narration – we find a distressed Jinju (Lee Ji-hyun) screaming at some bewildered construction workers. She is a young director, about to shoot her (maybe first) film and what the construction workers have just turned into a pile of rubble is a cafe that Jinju had chosen as primary location for her project. At a mere week from the kick-off, her chances to find another suitable location are very slim as what she is looking for is not the regular cafeteria or chain coffee shop that infest any street in the globe, but something with a bit more character and a local flavor.
Following the advice of a mentor in the film industry, she moves from Seoul to the smaller southern city of Jin-ju, where Ju-huan (Moon Sun-yong) – appointed as a chaperon by her friend – takes her around the sleepy town, scouting for an alternative location while the clock is relentlessly ticking on her film. Unfortunately, when Ju-huan starts to form an idea about what kind of place Jinju is looking for, he is called away on a job. Jinju is left alone in the city commercial district and, almost by mistake, she stumbles upon a cafeteria that could be the one!
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The 50-year-old place, located in Kyeongnam Jinju and called “Samgakji coffee shop” (or Dabang, as these old traditional institutions are called), is a quiet place (maybe too quiet!) whose sole customers seem to be a group of local artists from the nearby Namgang Theatre. Jinju is delighted; Samgakji is exactly the location she had envisioned for her film! Unfortunately, talking with Mr. Oh who runs the establishment, she finds out that the place has been scheduled for demolition as part of a wider redevelopment plan of the area. Deeply upset, for many reasons other than her missed opportunity, Jinju joins the group of artists, led by director Park Jun-yong (Lim Ho-jun) in a quixotic fight against the demolition of Samgakji.
A Dabang is a Korean-language term for any establishment that primarily serves non-alcoholic drinks; basically, cafes or teahouses. Once an important socializing and meeting place, often used also as an office substitute or extension, since the onset of the 21st-century, the number of Dabangs throughout contemporary South Korea has sharply decreased, and domestic and overseas franchises have taken their place. With “Jinju’s Pearl”, director Kim Lok-kyoung embraces wholeheartedly the cause of the seemingly inevitable loss of a bit of Korean tradition and local flavor. His alter-ego Jinju, joins the fight against the demolition at the cost of damaging her own project, fueled by her personal experience that goes back to her childhood and the relationship with her father.
This significant cultural shift is a very noble cause, which the film supports and rises awareness to. Traditional cafes often serve as cultural landmarks, reflecting the history and social fabric of their neighborhoods; their disappearance signifies a loss of heritage and local character. However, as a vector to deliver this interesting and crucial message, Kim Lok-kyoung choses a story that hasn’t got a great deal of originality and therefore not much oomph. A young director in the middle of a crisis while shooting an indie film, venting her/his feelings in a raggedy bar with fellow artists, in front a glass/cup of coffee/tea/soju is almost a template for indie Korean films. It is something we have seen so many times that it’s hard to get too thrilled about. Even more when playing rather safe and lacking a bit of surrealism or sense of humor.
One interesting thread that is introduced in a whimsical form at the beginning and could have been a driving theme of the film is the protagonist’s father and the reason why she is so strongly attached to the Dabang. Sadly, it feels completely undeveloped, as the only glimpse that we get into it is when Jinju, in tears, blurts out few words about her dad to Mr. Oh. Nothing more.
Camerawork, photography tech specs and all, adhere to the classic Korean indie film with floods of gentle light over realistic settings, making the city of Jenju almost like the protagonist’s dream. Acting is natural and pleasant, maybe a touch too melancholic but counterbalanced by the vigorous Lim Ho-jun as temperamental theatre director Jun-yong. The only humorous note is added by the guitarist in the artists’ group, who would abruptly start playing and singing his autograph songs about the fight for Samgakji, although I am not sure if it is a case of accidental comedy.
To summarise, “Jinju’s Pearl” is a pleasant film about the necessary efforts to preserve these establishments and the retention of cultural heritage, but the dramatic glue that holds it together is slightly thin and it can struggle to catch the heart of the audiences.
