A Brand New Life

Seoul, 1975. Jinhee's father sits her on the back of his bicycle, takes her to a Catholic orphanage, leaves her at the door and does not come back. She refuses to accept it: she believes he will return, she breaks the rules, she does not eat. The other children have already learned the system and know how to behave if they want to be adopted. That is what Jinhee has to learn. This is Ounie Lecomte's first film. Born in South Korea, she was adopted as a child by a French family, and the film draws in part on her own experience. The telling applies no emotional pressure, stays inside the child's vantage, and does not put the adults in the position of explaining. The director Lee Chang-dong is among the producers. It is Kim Sae-ron's first film. It won best Asian film at the 22nd Tokyo International Film Festival. Who it's for: Viewers who like drama built from a child's vantage, Korean cinema, and quiet narratives about abandonment. Who it's not for: It is emotionally heavy and offers no consoling close. There is also almost no plot.