Chihwaseon (Drunk On Women And Poetry) review

When a director or screenwriter decides to make a film about an artist, they face a massive difficulty in portraying their inner thoughts and motivations in an entertaining way. We've seen this several times in recent years: in the late 90s Surviving Picasso, which was a periodic look at the surrealist's life, latterly Ed Harris' difficult Pollock and more recently Julie Taymor's lavish portrayal of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. All have only been partly successful, due to the often feisty and quixotic nature of the central character.

Much the same can be said of Jung Sung-Il's new biopic of the mythical Korean painter Jang Seung-Up which is now on general release after picking up the Best Director gong at last year's Cannes Film Festival. This is a painstakingly rendered movie which allegedly had the biggest budget of any Korean film to date, but there is a definite feeling that the attention paid to the detail could have been spent on the dramatic elements of the story. Jang Seung-Up lived from 1833 before he disappeared in 1897. This was during the Josean period of Korean history, a period which seemed to be characterised by a rather peaceful but strictly hierarchical social climate. I say 'seemed' because to an ordinary Westerner the political background is somewhat hazily defined. There is a rebellion towards the end of the film. Threats of invasion by Japan are also referred to but there is an uneasy and confusing meld of politics and art throughout.

What's even more difficult to take about Chihwaseon is the portrayal of the central character. Jang Seung-Up was a humble child prodigy who worked in the service of others until his great talent made him popular with the higher echelons of society, including the king. But, as the English translation of the title implies, he was mainly creatively inspired by alcohol and sex. Thus the film is peppered with examples of his rather boorish and uncomfortable behaviour.

Similarly, unaccustomed occidental eyes may find his art rather naïve. Countless incidents of paintings including Bird and Tree or Hawk in Valley do become quickly repetitive.

This is a very earnest film but one which is likely to leave many viewers alienated by the unsympathetic nature of its subject matter. It is likely to perform well in the arthouse world for those seeking something worthy, but the average filmgoer will find it a rather long and occasionally tedious affair.