Oasis (2002)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Chang-dong Lee

Writer:

Chang-dong Lee (writer)

Release Date:

7 May 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Have you really loved someone?

Plot:

Jong-du, a young man just out of prison for manslaughter, is a social misfit: fidgety, snuffling, laughing inappropriately...

Plot Keywords:

Thief | Wheelchair | Discrimination | Handicapped | Rape Attempt

Awards:

11 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Kyung-gu Sol	...	Jong-du Hong
So-ri Moon	...	Gong-ju Han
Nae-sang Ahn	...	Jong-Il Hong
Seung-wan Ryoo	...	Jong-Sae Hong
Kwi-Jung Chu	...	Jong-Sae's Wife
Jin-gu Kim	...	Mrs. Hong
Byung-ho Son	...	Sang-Shik Han
Ga-hyun Yun	...	Sang-Shik's Wife
Myeong-shin Park	...	Woman Neighbor
Kyung-geun Park	...	Woman Neighbor's Husband
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dae-gwan Han	...	Detective 2
Jin-seob Han	...	Detective 1
Seo-hie Ko

Runtime:

Canada:132 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Japan:132 min | Korea:132 min | USA:133 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Hong Kong:III | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:18 | Japan:PG-12

Company:

Dream Venture Capital

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Man yan (2004)

Masterwork from Lee Chang-Dong

"Oasis" is the story of the relationship of a man imprisoned by his mind with a woman imprisoned by her body. That they establish a relationship comes as much because of their handicaps as in spite of them.

I knew before seeing the film that Moon So-ri was an able-bodied actress. As a result, at first I wasn't convinced she was playing someone with cerebral palsy. But Lee Chang-dong does a brilliant thing. He films several scenes that become the imaginings and fantasies of Gong-ju, Moon's character, as an able-bodied woman. This had the effect on me of seeing Gong-ju as disabled. And it spells out clearly that cerebral palsy is a physical condition not a mental one.

Sol Kyung-gu as Jong-du is perfect. I've been describing Jong-du as "simple-minded" to others but that doesn't pinpoint his mental condition. I might say he is carefree but it's not just an attitude; he is carefree to the point of mental illness. His condition makes him act both bad (he's been in prison three times) and good (he absolutely sees right through Gong-ju's handicap and truly comes to care for her). While Gong-ju is frustrated over her condition and how others use her it, Jong-du appears so utterly accepting of his fate that he doesn't even defend himself. I can't stop thinking about how Mr. Sol has played this interesting character.

Both Gong-ju's and Jong-du's families scorn and pity their conditions. But watch how they also come to exploit them as well.

I highly recommend this film.