The Truth Behind Kim Ki-Duk’s Cannes-Winning ‘Arirang’

The attention a Korean filmmaker got this time around in Cannes was more about the reaction to the fringe of Korean films rather than the fluidity of much more easily likable one like “Poetry”. Kim Ki-Duk, always a man of controversy and strong, love/hate relationships, was the only Korean filmmaker to win recognition, receiving the coveted sidebar prize for his self-portrait film. Kim, 50, shares the Un Certain Regard prize with German director Andreas Dresen, who won for “Stopped on Track.”

Arirang received strong reactions from those that loved it and those that hated it–mostly Koreans. A raw, auteur-style film, Kim, who also stars in the film, shows his perceived failings as a director compounded by a dramatic event–a real life event where one of Kim’s actresses nearly died on the set of “Dream” while acting out a hanging scene. Most of the film focuses on what he describes as betrayals by his colleagues in the film industry.

Before “Arirang”, Kim tried to make a Hollywood film starring William Dafoe about a soldier who returns to Korea decades after the Korean War in order to find the body of a friend who was killed. But the project never got off the ground, and several of Kim’s friends left to work on projects for major studios.

The film gets its name from a traditional Korean song (most Koreans here tend to sing it after a few bowls of traditional Korean rice wine known as makkgeoli). Upon receiving the award Kim sang the first parts of the song. When the film premiered on May 13, Kim received a lengthy standing ovation. However, Kim, who has always been much more well-received overseas, found controversy at home. The film takes shots at real people in the industry, including former assistant director Jang Hoon. Many Koreans, especially those in the culture cabinet of the government, felt it was Kim who was betraying the industry. Kim, always one to steer away from major film companies for the sake of cinema, said he felt betrayal when Jang signed with Showbox, a major Korean studio. After signing, Jang’s film “Blood Brothers” (2009) drew over 5 million viewers in theaters, a very high number in Korea. Jang first became known after directing Kim’s screenplay “Rough Cut” (2008). Soon after Rough Cut debuted in theaters, Jang singed with Showbox.

After the release of “Dream”, Kim disappeared from the film scene. The documentary-style film takes place in a period of self-exile. He also didn’t make a profit from “Rough Cut” because the distributor went out of business. With these financial complications contributing to Jang’s “betrayal”, and his self-perceived guilt for the near death of an actress, some of his compatriots wonder if Kim’s depictions in the film aren’t just overly narcissistic.

Upon returning from studying in Paris, in 1995, Kim started his career by winning first prize in a screenwriting contest held by the Korean Film Council. The Korean government, which has many directors serve as cultural ministers in actual positions, found the idea of a Korean going to France to have a well-received film about the betrayal of Korean colleagues a bit of a low blow.

But more so, the way the film ends has more than angered some people here. In the final scene, Kim’s character loads a gun to hunt down his betrayers in the streets of Seoul. After we see him enter the facades of three buildings, we hear a gun shot each time. Then, we see Kim point the gun to himself. Korean filmmakers and government members don’t view this as a subtle scene or an exaggeration of a feud.

In 15 years, Kim has made 13 films. In 2004, he won the best director award at the Berlin International Film Festival for Samaritan Girl. That same year, he won best director at the Venice Film Festival for 3-Iron. Kim was involved in a controversy when his 2000 film The Isle had its release date delayed after the British Board of Film Classification considered some scenes showing animal cruelty, including a frog being skinned alive and fish mutilation.