This Charming Girl
Reeling from a failed romantic entanglement and the recent death of her much-loved artist mother, 20-something postal worker Jeong-hae is drifting through life. Through a soft, white haze, she goes about her daily routine of commuting, work, commuting, home, take-out dinners, TV shopping, and caring for a stray kitten—the only source of warmth in her life. Knowing that efforts to heal her psychic and spiritual wounds by herself are futile, she struggles painfully to reconnect with the world while battling an innate fear of it—a fear that has its roots in past tragedies and botched sexual connections. As the heartbreakingly fragile yet quietly simmering Jeong-hae, actress Kim Ji-soo is a revelation, and a good foil for the graceful, restrained directorial style of Lee Yoon-ki (with its echoes of Tsai Ming-liang and Antonioni). This elegant, multilayered drama from 2004 (which was screened at SIFF in 2005) accomplishes the nearly impossible feat of drawing the audience into the emotional life of a solitary character—a remarkable achievement, especially for a debut feature.
Cast & Crew
Director: Lee Yoon-ki
Producer: Yun Il-joong, Lee Seung-jae
Editor: Harn Sung-won, Kim Hyeong-ju
Screenwriter: Lee Yoon-ki
Cinematographer: Choi Jin-woong
Music: Lee Young-ho, Lee So-yun
Principal Cast: Kim Ji-soo, Hwang Jung-min, Kim Hye-ok, Lee Dae-yeon
Filmography: Ad-Lib Night (2006); Love Talk (2005); This Charming Girl (2004)
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User reviews
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actress has echoes of Zooey Deschanel, May 20, 2009
By kepikim
“I first saw *this charming girl* when it first screened at SIFF in 2005. It was one of my faves at the 2005 SIFF. Very good acting by Kim Ji-soo, with echoes of Zooey Deschanel with a more serious edge. I'm glad we get a chance to see it on the big screen again.”
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