Un Certain Regard - review - A GIRL AT MY DOOR (Dohee-ya) by July Jung

There’s a new Korean director to look out for, and her name is July Jung. She presented her first feature film A Girl at My Door in the Un Certain Regard section of the 67^th Cannes Film Festival and already shows all the skill and ability of a matured filmmaker.

The story is that of a young female cop who is transferred to a small village to become its chief of police. There, she encounters a young girl who is constantly mistreated and abused by her alcoholic and obnoxious father. Despite this, he seems to be inexplicably on good terms with the whole village that will forgive him anything. As the two girls get closer and closer, they create a dangerous kind of mother and daughter relationship and as the film progresses, more and more themes and issues – some even surprisingly daring and delicate – spin out of the seemingly simple dramatic situation.

That, in fact, is the film’s greatest asset, which goes on to examine domestic violence, homosexuality and immigration in compelling, intimate and yet very accessible and engaging way. There is never any need for Jung to get trivial with her narrative or the issues she deals with, and in the end her film has all the tension and psychological undertones of a thriller as well as the emotional depth of a drama that does not disregard character study.

The three leading actors in this film deliver greatly intense performances, and three different types of performances that complete each other in a carefully drawn up scheme. Doona Bae’s silences as the female homosexual cop who drinks every night because it helps her sleep contributes heavy silences that conceal a helpless troubled soul and restlessness. This contrasts greatly the performance by Sae-Byeok Song, perfectly cast as the extroverted constantly drunk and clownish figure of her arch nemesis, the abusive father who also runs a business that exploits illegal immigrants that makes him a powerful figure in his village. The radically different performances by these two actors heightens the role of the young girl, Kim Sae-Ron, whose innocence, helplessness and vulnerability feels very genuine.

Adding to the appeal of the overall film is its penchant for surprising and engaging plot twists that nevertheless never let the importance of its themes and social examinations seem unimportant or of lesser value to the work. Aside from that, it is a story that translates universally when viewed as a work speaking out against intolerance of minority groups. While there is room for Jung to grow, sometimes the rhythm of the film comes to a soap operatic standstill from which thankfully it soon recovers, A Girl at My Door is certainly an admirable if not downright praise worthy feature directorial debut that demonstrates how its filmmaker has plenty to say.