Film review rainbow trout
Film review-rainbow troutRainbow Trout' is a film about five urbanites who visit a fish
farmer in a small secluded village and come to realize the deceptiveness of human nature. Characters in the film are roughly divided into two groups: typical modern city dwellers and simple-minded village people living around the fish farm. The urbanites include the Min-su couple (a bank worker and his wife, Jung-wha), Sae-wha (younger sister of Jung-wha), and the Byung-kwan couple (owner of a steak house and his wife, Young-sook). The villagers include the trout breeder Chang-hyun (friend of Min-su and
former lover of Jung-wha), Tae-ju (a young man), and a group of
wild hunters. Once the urbanites move into the world of the village
people, the differences in the social status of the characters become
meaningless. As Chang-hyun's fish-farm gets crowded with urban visitors, it becomes a claustrophobic space filled with a
suffocating atmosphere. The fish-farm changes into a nightmarish
stage where every character reveals repressed desires and a demonic
nature. Initially, the characters are: cultured and reasonable, the Min-su couple and Sae-wha; calculating but friendly, the Byung-kwan
couple; considerate and disinterested, Chang-yun;innocent-looking,
Tae-ju; and crude but well-meaning, the hunters. However, all turn out to be selfish and cowardly people concerned only about themselves. In the midst of this nightmarish stage, the characters observe the trout and find when the trout are stressed out, they have an unsettling way of hitting their heads against the wall until they die. The correlation between theoverwhelmed trout and characters is irresistible. Rainbow Trout' is the 4th feature film by director Chong-won Park. As a film maker, he has not made many movies. In fact, ten years have passed since he made his debutfilm, Kuro Arirang'. He is, however, known as an experimental and creative film
maker in terms of cinematic style and thematic content. For
example, his 2nd feature, Our Twisted Hero', dealt with political allegory, and his 3rd feature, Eternal Empire' opened a new genre of thriller/mystery/ period drama. Director Park's ever-renewing interest in a mosaic film style and subject matter is obvious in Rainbow Trout', as well. First, it is a hybrid-genre film composed of comedy, horror, grotesque humor, and every day life. Secondly, while his previous films have focused on the theme of "power" in
varying degrees, this film focuses on the theme of "repressed
desire" or "primitive instinct" in human beings. Rainbow Trout' marks his departure from socio-political issues.
In addition, compared with his previous characters, which were
based on good and evil in polar opposition, Rainbow Trout's characters are much more down-to-earth and realistic. They are all described as
ordinary common people with the same weaknesses and whims as us. At first, visitors from the city seem discreet and reasonable, but
they soon prove to be whimsical and shallow people upon arrival at
the fish-farm. They soon miss the comforts of city life, such as
delicacies and TV news, and complain about not being able to use modern conveniences such as the car and cellular phone. In a sense, this is understandable as they are unfit for the place and experience emotional depression. However, the people around the fish farm are no better than the city people. They are unable to exercise self-control and always try to have their own way in everything. The two groups conflict with each other and at last fall into a collective
hysteria in which every member becomes destructively aggressive, just like trout which can not stand the slightest stress of being together in a fish bowl. At the end of the film, the second and the
third day, an unexpected accidents. The shoal of trout, that were
shocked by last night's gunshot from hunters, are dead with their bellies toward the sky. All the travellers have nausea on seeing Chang-hyun make sashimi out of the dead trout. Also, Min-su and
Byung-kwan, the timid urbanites, cannot do anything when the
hunters make advances toward their wives. In the meantime, Sae-wha is fascinated by Chang-hyun who lives alone but still has affection for Jung-wha. Sae-wha tries to get acquainted with Chang-hyun, but he cannot escape the mental agony over his ex-lover, Jung-wha
(Sae-wha's sister). On the other hand, it is Tae-ju, living alone
and raising hunting dogs, who shows a special interest for Sae-wha.
Tae-joo has a persistent eye on Sae-wha as soon as Sae-wha's group arrives. As Tae-joo follows Sae-wha wherever she goes and peeps at her every behavior,he runs into Byung-kwan and Min-su. They are in a sulking mood because they cannot stand up to the hunters, so they badly beat Tae-joo. That night, Min-su and his party see Chang-hyun and hunters drinking deer blood and making a fuss. Seeing that, they think it is time to leave the fish farm for the city. On the Third Day , Min-su and his party try to go back to Seoul
early the next morning, but their car tires have been punctured by
someone. Chang-hyun decends into town to get some help and Sae-wha
accompanies him. Taking shelter from the heavy rain under a tree,
they come to have sex unexpectedly. Peeping at Sae-wha undressing, Tae-joo is found out by Min-su and Byung-kwan and is almost beaten to death. Min-su and Byung-kwan run after Tae-ju to the fish pool where they drown him. With Tae-joo's dead, Min-su and Byung-kwan blame each other for the drowning. Taking her husband's side, Jung-wha threatens to sue Chang-hyun for raping her sister and forces him to take all
responsibility for Tae-joo's death. Later, Chang-hyun chases after the departing party and tells them Tae-joo's body has disappeared. Successive gun shots,threatening to kill them, are heard and Min-su's
party is seized with fear. This unexpected accidents, on the second
and the third day, causes us to see the characters' true nature
uncovered; that is with good manners, social face, and a sense of honor stripped off. In brief, Rainbow Trout' is a cynical satire on
human folly and weakness; its effect magnifies as sexual jokes and
farce are interjected by the Byung-kwan couple and the crude hunters.
Rainbow Trout' is a movie in which you can really feel the director's touch When facing a crisis, basic human nature reveals itself. Five urbanites take their masks off and show the primitive nature of man. Modern city dwellers wear many masks. They aren't themselves when they are working, in love,and even at home. Director Park takes
off these masks one by one and shows the audience the true man. An
individual in various webs of human relationships takes this side
or that side according to the situation. In what way does an individual react when he faces a situation against his own interest? Here we can see the director's touch.