Painted Fire

I don't have a good way to describe this type of film. While it is considered an art film, or an independent film depending on your outlook, and therefore has a unique style of storytelling and cinematography, the deeper meaning it purports to have never strikes a chord in the viewer, namely me. I suppose you could call films like this "smart art with no heart," or something like that. It's not true that this film has no heart -- the tale of a famous Korean painter from the late 1800s, who learned from the masters, but never fit into their world -- because you empathize with the painter as he struggles to gain an understanding of art and produce something unique, but you're not sure you believe in him all the time. He was, apparently, something of a boor, needing (essentially) wine, women and song to create his art. This is told unflinchingly, and it's an important part of the difference between the painter and his masters, and yet we remain confused because we see him alternately meek and subservient in front of his masters or famous people, and rowdy and obnoxious in front of the very same. If nothing else, we understand how tormented his life was, and we are educated in the creation of Korean (and Asian in general) painting from that period.

original title: Chihwaseon
year: 2002
length: 117 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317234/combined