Oasis (2002)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Chang-dong Lee

Writer:

Chang-dong Lee (writer)

Release Date:

7 May 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Have you really loved someone?

Plot:

Jong-du, a young man just out of prison for manslaughter, is a social misfit: fidgety, snuffling, laughing inappropriately...

Plot Keywords:

Thief | Wheelchair | Discrimination | Handicapped | Rape Attempt

Awards:

11 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Kyung-gu Sol	...	Jong-du Hong
So-ri Moon	...	Gong-ju Han
Nae-sang Ahn	...	Jong-Il Hong
Seung-wan Ryoo	...	Jong-Sae Hong
Kwi-Jung Chu	...	Jong-Sae's Wife
Jin-gu Kim	...	Mrs. Hong
Byung-ho Son	...	Sang-Shik Han
Ga-hyun Yun	...	Sang-Shik's Wife
Myeong-shin Park	...	Woman Neighbor
Kyung-geun Park	...	Woman Neighbor's Husband
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dae-gwan Han	...	Detective 2
Jin-seob Han	...	Detective 1
Seo-hie Ko

Directed by
Chang-dong Lee

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Chang-dong Lee		writer

Produced by
Sung-min Choi	....	executive producer
Min-cheul Cho	....	producer
Kaynam Hyung	....	executive producer
Jeon Jay	....	producer
Jun-dong Lee	....	co-producer
Gye-nam Myeong	....	producer

Original Music by
Jae-jin Lee

Cinematography by
Yeong-taek Choi

Film Editing by
Hyun Kim

Art Direction by
Jum-hee Shin

Costume Design by
Sun-young Cha

Sound Department
Seung-cheol Lee	....	sound
Seung-yeop Lee	....	sound editor

Production Companies

• Dream Venture Capital
• East Film Company
• UniKorea Pictures

Distributors

• Bright Angel Distribution (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Cine Qua Non Films (Japan) (theatrical)
• Third Window Films (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Les Grands Films Classiques (GFC)
• Lifesize Entertainment (2004) (USA) (subtitled)
• Pan Terra (Russia)
• Revolver Film
• Total Film Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)

Runtime:

Canada:132 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Japan:132 min | Korea:132 min | USA:133 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Hong Kong:III | UK:15 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:18 | Japan:PG-12

Company:

Dream Venture Capital

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards (2005) (TV)

Oustanding

Oasis is a love story of truly unique proportions. It is simply unlike any movie you are likely to see.

Confronting, unusual, at times violent, but also heartbreakingly honest.

Lead by a stunning performance by So-ri Moon, and ably assisted by Kyung-gu Sol. The two bring amazing humanity to two very difficult and unusual character. So-ri in particular is brilliant, flawless and complex in her portrayal of the disabled Gong-ju Han. Her performance should be watched by any aspiring actor or actress as it is astonishingly good.

The plot is difficult to describe without it sounding bizarre and unrealistic, but the direction and script transcend any difficulties the subject matter brings up, and ultimately deliver the viewer with an unrivaled experience in what cinema was meant to do. That is, show us life, in all it's intricate forms, to inspire us, challenge us and help us grow.

Oasis is a power-house of modern cinema. An instant classic. It shows difficult characters, going through difficult situations, and the director has refused to water-down any aspect of the film, making it very confronting for the viewer.

Yet another in a growing list of Korean films that have blown me away. Their industry is the best around in my opinion, combining the technical abilities of the big-budget Hollywood films, with the personal, human stories that you would see in European cinema, but doing this with an obviously Asian aesthetic. If you like Kong Kong or Japanese films, I recommend stepping up to Korean films, they are generally more personal, and shot with as much visual gloss as anything from the US.