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A celebrated film from a leading Korean filmmaker
Written and directed by Lee Chang-dong, the 2002 South Korean film “Oasis” follows two people pushed to the margins by their families and society: Hong Jong-du, a recently released prisoner played by Sol Kyung-gu, and Han Gong-ju, a woman with cerebral palsy played by Moon So-ri.
The 132-minute drama opened in South Korea on Aug. 14, 2002, with a rating restricting it to viewers 18 and older. East Film and CJ Entertainment produced the movie. The supporting cast includes Ahn Nae-sang, Ryoo Seung-wan and Son Byung-ho.
Jong-du meets Gong-ju after visiting the home of a person killed in a traffic case connected to his imprisonment. Their relationship begins with Jong-du behaving intrusively and develops as the two share meals, take drives and venture into a world that often treats them as unwelcome. Lee moves between harsh reality and Gong-ju’s fantasies, in which she can walk, sing and play freely.
Families that fail to protect them
After serving 2½ years for negligent homicide in a hit-and-run case, the 29-year-old Jong-du discovers that his family has moved without telling him. He struggles to hold a food-delivery job and eventually sleeps at his brother’s auto repair shop.
Gong-ju has also been left behind. Her relatives use her name to obtain housing intended for people with disabilities, then bring her to the new apartment only when a government inspector visits. A neighbor paid to care for her also uses her living space for personal purposes.
At a birthday gathering for Jong-du’s mother, the film reveals that Jong-du’s older brother caused the fatal crash and that the family welcomed Jong-du’s offer to take the blame. Later, Gong-ju’s relatives find the couple together, and police arrest Jong-du on suspicion of sexually assaulting her. Overwhelmed, Gong-ju cannot communicate what happened, while her family and the police make little effort to listen.
Jong-du escapes from the police station long enough to climb a tree and cut away branches whose shadows had frightened Gong-ju, fulfilling a promise to her before he is arrested again. In the closing scene, Gong-ju cleans her room alone as Jong-du’s letter is heard promising that he will return after his release.
International recognition
“Oasis” competed at the 2002 Venice Film Festival, where Lee received the Silver Lion for best director and Moon won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for an emerging actor. The film also received honors there from international critics, Catholic media representatives and young critics.
The movie continued to collect awards on the international festival circuit. Sol and Moon won acting prizes at the Seattle International Film Festival, and the film received honors at festivals in Brisbane, Seville and Palm Springs. South Korea also selected “Oasis” as its entry for the foreign-language film category at the 75th Academy Awards.
In South Korea, the film earned major awards from the Chunsa Film Art Awards, the Busan Film Critics Association Awards, the Blue Dragon Film Awards, the Korean Film Awards and the Baeksang Arts Awards. It received no nominations, however, at the 40th Grand Bell Awards, one of the country’s prominent film award ceremonies.
Critical response in the United States
American critics highlighted both the film’s difficult subject matter and Moon’s performance. Roger Ebert awarded it three out of four stars and called it a “brave film,” emphasizing its portrait of two isolated people discovering that a complicated relationship is possible. The San Francisco Chronicle’s G. Allen Johnson described Moon’s performance as “flawless” and placed the film’s humanistic appeal for tolerance among the decade’s most original cinematic achievements.
“Oasis” holds a 90% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 30 reviews, with the site’s consensus crediting Moon’s performance for much of the painful drama’s power. Metacritic lists a score of 79 out of 100 based on 14 reviews.
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