The Flower in Hell
Yeong-sik and his posse live in a military camp town and make their living by raiding the American troops’ warehouse. His younger brother Dong-sik follows him into the military camp town to bring him back home. Dong-sik continuously tries to convince him, but Yeong-sik tells his brother to go on without him and proposes to Sonya by promising to marry and move to the country with her once he succeeds a large raid. All the while, Sonya starts liking Dong-sik and seduces him while Yeong-sik is away on his raid.
* Source: Korean Film Archive
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The Flower in Hell, considered one of director Shin Sang-ok’s flagship works, masterfully depicts the societal contradictions and value clashes in post-war Korea in a highly realistic manner. Set against the backdrop of exhausted Seoul, the story revolves around a love triangle involving Yeong-sik, the leader of a criminal organization that steals and sells munitions from U.S. military bases, Dong-sik, who comes to Seoul to find his brother Yeong-sik, and Sonya, Yeong-sik’s lover and a sex worker. The film authentically captures the Korean society of the time, adopting the style of Italian neorealism and blending it with the aspects of Western, crime noir, and melodrama genres. Moreover, the film explores the thematic contrast between hometown and city life, as well as between spirit and material. As the narrative unfolds, Dong-sik's return to his hometown at the end of the movie symbolizes a triumph of the values associated with hometown and spirit. However, the most intriguing aspect of the film lies in the character of Sonya, portrayed by Choi Eun-hee. She is a femme fatale, seducing both brothers without a hint of guilt. As a captivating character unprecedented in previous Korean films, she injects new potential for ruptures into the binary opposition within the film’s narrative structure. (PARK Seho)
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Korean Film Archive⎜program@koreafilm.or.kr
SHIN Sang-ok
