Ounie Lecomte: A BRAND NEW LIFE (2009)

우니 르콩트: 여행자

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A Brand New Life:
A Poetic Journey from Abandonment to Hope

I could say "all's well that ends well"—reflecting on how the third film of the weekend finally brought a truly magnificent cinematic experience.

Ounie Lecomte’s film is a breathtakingly beautiful work, with the unique quality that while watching it, the thought that you are viewing a "movie" never even crosses your mind. The story and the manner of its execution draw you in with such elemental force that the screen practically swallows you, making you a participant in events that flow slowly, with unstudied simplicity and everyday naturalness.

Director Ounie Lecomte

Lecomte incorporated her own life experience into the film, which was overseen by none other than Lee Chang-dong as producer. It is as if his signature poetic realism shines through this story as well, and if that weren't enough of a hallmark of quality, the lead actress provides an absolute guarantee. She is none other than Kim Sae-ron, who was exactly nine years old at the time of filming—the same age as the protagonist, Jin-hee, whom she brings to life.

The film's Korean title is Journey, referring to the "merciful" lie Jin-hee’s father uses to mislead her, hiding the fact that the beautiful clothes and the cake brought as a gift serve a journey that is strictly one-way. Due to the father’s new marriage, Jin-hee has become superfluous; therefore, he drops her off at a church-run orphanage, where the goal is for children to find a "brand new life" with adoptive families, primarily from abroad.

Kim Sae-ron guides us through every stage of the young girl’s psychological drama with perfect immersion and authentic honesty. Her performance possesses a thousand emotional nuances, allowing her to cover the vast arc from initial angry protest and stubborn resistance to the eventual understanding and acceptance of her situation. Possessing realizations that would burden even an adult, Jin-hee finally boards a plane (just as the film's director did in real life) to land, after a solitary journey, with her new French parents, who await their unknown adopted child at the airport with hopeful curiosity. It is chilling to consider the weight of the life experiences Jin-hee and children with similar fates already possess as they reach the threshold of their new lives.

The portrayal of the orphanage residents is richly detailed, and the film glimpses into the fates of several children, bringing either disappointment or the fulfillment of childhood hopes. The relationships between the children are simultaneously sources of survival and new trauma; they help each other integrate into this temporary community, but since this is only a transitional phase in all their lives, each parting brings fresh pain. The director also senses with great delicacy the participation of the adult caregivers in this process—a role that is not unloving, but rather consciously and wisely restrained, yet emotional bonds inevitably emerge.

Ounie Lecomte’s subsequent private life story followed an interesting path. In her new French family, her father held a ministerial post; Lecomte graduated as a fashion designer and also took on several film roles. She returned to Korea in 1991 to star in a story about an adopted child searching for their roots, but the film was never completed. However, in reality, she managed to establish contact with her biological parents. Later, she participated in a screenwriting workshop, during which she eventually wrote the script for A Brand New Life in 2006.

The film received numerous accolades, winning the Best Asian Film award at the 22nd Tokyo International Film Festival and the Jury Prize in 2009 at the Cinekid Festival in Amsterdam.