Memento Mori (film)
Memento Mori | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical poster | |
Hangul | |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Yeogogoedam dubeonjjae iyagi |
McCune–Reischauer | Yŏgogoedam tubŏntchae iyagi |
Directed by | |
Written by |
|
Produced by | Lee Chun-yeon |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Kim Yun-su |
Edited by | Kim Sang-bum |
Music by | Jo Seong-woo |
Distributed by | Cinema Service |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
Country | South Korea |
Language | Korean |
Memento Mori (
Synopsis
The film revolves around the
The plot unfurls in a
Cast
- Park Ye-jin as Min Hyo-shin
- Kim Min-sunas Seo Min-ah
- Lee Young-jin as Yoo Shi-eun
- Baek Jong-hak as Mr. Goh
- Han Min
- Kim Jae-in as Yeon-an
- Gong Hyo-jin as Ji-won
- Oh Min-ae as Nurse
- Lee Hye-mi
- Lim Seong-eon
LGBT representation and horror cinema
There is no comparable South Korean equivalent to the scope of the Western queer film movement.[3] Despite the increasing visibility of the Korean LGBT movement in the 1990s, when Memento Mori was made, queer films of the time frequently concealed LGBT content behind the guise of other genres, such as horror or romance. The elements of horror featured in Memento Mori, which include telepathy and possession, function as a method of creating distance between the audience's reality and the fantasy of the horror movie, and the characters therein.[4]
The representation of queer characters within a horror context is further aided by Korea's LGBT history. Despite being tolerated throughout most of Korean history, Neo-Confucianism, which came into prominence during the Chosŏn dynasty, eliminated acceptance towards same-sex behavior and “effectively made homosexuality invisible, ghostly.” Despite the societal implication of queer people as inherently ghostly, the film does not treat its LGBT characters as the archetypal monsters, representative of societal taboos, as in the Western horror tradition. Rather, Memento Mori’s queer characters are the heroes the story is centered around, and the ghostly terror is directed at the film’s homophobic characters.[3]
In creating a uniquely Korean canon of the horror genre, Korean horror films have not imported Western-style monsters or slashers; they instead center on a ghost, most often a female ghost. Within the tradition of Korean horror cinema, the female spirit exists to get revenge on their murderers. The ghosts of early horror films typically have “lived a life of repression in a patriarchal family,”[5] and it is within the context of these heterosexual relationships that most traditional Korean horror film ghosts seek their revenge. However, the horror cycle starting with Whispering Corridors shifts the focal relationship from familial relationships to friendships, particularly those between school aged girls.[6]
The more contemporary version of the Korean ghost story, featuring the ghost of a schoolgirl, is ideal representation for girls, who are taught to internalize their problems. The current education system in South Korea is frequently gender segregated in both middle school and high school, emphasizing distinctive gender norms and attempting to curb sexuality.[6] Lingering Confucian influences play a large role in gender segregated schools, which in turn lead to normalized “homosocial bodily contact” and significant relationships between students of the same gender.[3] This normalized intimacy between schoolgirls makes the jump from the homosocial to the queer relationship of Hyo-shin and Shi-eun plausible to the audience. However, this context of highly interdependent, exclusive female friendships, which become necessary for survival in the highly competitive environment of Korean high schools,[6] may soften the LGBT themes in Memento Mori as a result of such close relationships being accepted as a “rite of passage”.[4]
Release
Memento Mori was released in South Korea on December 24, 1999.[7] In the Philippines, the film was released on January 14, 2004.[8]
References
- Kalat, David (2007). J-Horror: The Definitive Guide to The Ring, The Grudge and Beyond. Vertical Inc. ISBN 978-1-932234-08-4.
References
- ^ "여름 특집! 여고괴담, 학교에서는 무슨 일이 있었나". magazine.movie.daum.net
- ^ "‘여고괴담’부터 ‘소녀괴담’까지, 학원 공포물 변천사". tenasia.hankyung.com
- ^ a b c Grossman, Andrew; Lee, Jooran (2005). "Memento Mori and Other Ghostly Sexualities". In Shin, Chi-Yun; Stringer, Julian (eds.). New Korean Cinema. New York University Press. pp. 180–192.
- ^ .
- ^ Chung, Sung-ill (2007). "Four Variation on Korean Genre Film: Tears, Screams, Violence and Laughter". In Kim, Mee hyun (ed.). Korean Cinema from Origins to Renaissance. CommBooks. pp. 1–14.
- ^ a b c Choi, Jinhee (2009). "A Cinema of Girlhood: Sonyeo Sensibility and the Decorative Impulse in the Korean Horror Cinema". In Choi, Jinhee; Wada-Marciano, Mitsuyo (eds.). Horror to the Extreme: Changing Boundaries in Asian Cinema. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 39–56.
- ^ Kalat 2007, p. 2007.
- ^ "YUNG ESKWELAHAN MO BA MAY MULTO? Alamin ngayon, Enero 14". Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. January 14, 2004. p. A30. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
Based on a shocking true story that happened inside a haunted school for girls in Korea.
External links
- Memento Mori at IMDb
- Memento Mori at HanCinema
- Memento Mori at Cine21 (in Korean)