Chihwaseon (2002)

83% of critics liked it
(40 reviews)
74% of users liked it
(1,109 ratings)

Renowned Korean director Im Kwon-Taek (Chunhyang) tells the story of legendary iconoclastic Chosun Dynasty artist Oh-won (Choi Min-Sik). With little reliable documentation of the artist's life, the director (along with co-writer Kim Young-Oak) used dramatic license to fill in the details of the… More Renowned Korean director Im Kwon-Taek (Chunhyang) tells the story of legendary iconoclastic Chosun Dynasty artist Oh-won (Choi Min-Sik). With little reliable documentation of the artist's life, the director (along with co-writer Kim Young-Oak) used dramatic license to fill in the details of the man's life. Born a peasant named Jang Seung-ub in 1843, the artist used his talents to escape a life of poverty. A wealthy nobleman, Kim Byung-Moon (Ahn Sung-Ki), recognizes Jang's talent, and takes him in at an early age. Master Kim recommends Jang to a respected art teacher, and his career path begins. As a young man, Jang grows in stature for his ability to flawlessly copy well-known Chinese paintings. He also falls in love with a noble's daughter, Mae-Hyang (You Ho-Jeong). Because of the class difference, he can never be with her, and he's heartbroken when she marries another man. This sets him on the path he follows for much of his life -- that of a drunken wanderer. Despite his self-destructive hard drinking, his penchant for consorting with prostitutes, his impoverished background, his refusal to follow anyone's rules, the political turbulence of the times in which he lives, and the fact that he rarely signs his own work, Oh-won rises to prominence as an artist. Director Im shared the Best Director prize (with Paul Thomas Anderson) at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, and Chihwaseon was also featured in the 2002 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 57 min.
Directed By: Kwon-taek Im
Written By: Kwon-taek Im, Yong-ok Kim
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Feb 14, 2003 Limited
On DVD: Feb 3, 2004
Studio: Kino International

Critic Reviews

Desson Thomson, Washington Post
It is quietly observant, with a detached eye for the telling moment, and the visual compositions are often exquisite.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
[Chihwaseon] rushes through the life of its subject in nimble leaps and bounds, concentrating on the livelier and more spectacular parts and avoiding the dull historical and biographical stretches.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Another masterpiece from one of the world's more neglected great directors, a master artist who here reveals the soul of another.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
The movie's attention to anthropological and historical detail means things are slow to come alive. But once they do, the nature of Jang's psychic torture is palpable and unmistakable.
Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times
A vividly entertaining portrait.
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
A handsome film, filled with lavish costumes and set designs and told in a series of exquisitely composed images.
Par Parekh, Film Journal International
In spite of these few moments of wonder, and even the dense, moving thematic content, the film ultimately doesn't leave a lasting taste.
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
[A]n elegant, painterly film...
Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
The sturdy and goateed Choi Min-sik gives an extraordinary performance as the mercurial Ohwon whose moods fluctuate from sadness to rage, anguish, and depression.
Donald Munro, Fresno Bee
For all its beauty and artistic ambition, the film remained stubbornly remote and soulless to me.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
This Korean drama is a credible portrait of its main character, the revered 19th-century artist Oh Mon Jang Seung-up, and it looks beautiful enough to be a work of art itself.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
Director Im Kwon-Taek steeps this film with reverence for Korean lore and history.
Neil Smith, BBC
The problem is, painting isn't a spectator sport, as the interminable scenes of Jang at work continually confirm.
Geoffrey Macnab, Sight and Sound
A fascinating, consummately crafted and ultimately moving study of a man who conforms surprisingly closely to western archetypes of the artist as rebel and hedonist.
Shawn Levy, Oregonian
It's one of the best films of an artist's life you'll ever see.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Luke B

Jang Seung-Up is an artist that just can't catch a break. His talent is noticed at first, but he is soon buried beneath an ever increasing number of art students. He is eventually noticed after making a perfect copy of a more established artists painting, after having just one… More
Jang Seung-Up is an artist that just can't catch a break. His talent is noticed at first, but he is soon buried beneath an ever increasing number of art students. He is eventually noticed after making a perfect copy of a more established artists painting, after having just one look. This brings about attention, which is also his downfall. He is shunned for outclassing his own teacher, and soon becomes a drunken mess. There's a lot of redemption in this film, almost anyways. Jang is a man that can only excel whilst drinking. This leads to an obviously large amount of problems. Chihwaseon is a very breautiful film, in terms of the arts it presents, and the way it presents itself. The acting is highly emotive and believable, with Choi Min-Sik, carefully balancing the dependent Jang, with touches of hostility and openness. It's only drawback is the predictable nature of the biopic. Take an individual's life, and truncate it to 2 hours, and you're bound to run into similarities with other famous people of the past.
Dimitris S

Up until recently,a number of films dedicated to the lives and times of exceptional painters,fine artists in a broader scope started emerging out of nowhere.Ladies,gents,I present you the unanimous masterpiece of them all,forget Pollocks and Fridas,Sung-up,a humongous legend in the… More
Up until recently,a number of films dedicated to the lives and times of exceptional painters,fine artists in a broader scope started emerging out of nowhere.Ladies,gents,I present you the unanimous masterpiece of them all,forget Pollocks and Fridas,Sung-up,a humongous legend in the Joseon dynasty in Korea,a fabulous poetic journey by the hands of an elderly Im Kwon-taek and yet profoundly young,Min-sik proves he is an Actor.