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“The most important thing in life is seeing.”

As Mi-ja encounters certain harsh realities late in her life, she decides to learn how to write poetry as a way to process her feelings and find beauty in little things that she’d been taking for granted. Although she struggles to find the words to express herself, she continues going about her life with the hope that she will eventually be able to write a single poem.

Lee Chang-dong’s films always have a very poetic style, and fittingly, his film about poetry is itself a poetic masterpiece. It slowly and methodically presents its story in a natural manner that intertwines many different aspects about life, which also touches upon a variety of important themes and effectively links them together. In addition, the narrative effortlessly brings the audience along with Mi-ja as she goes about her daily routines, and it perfectly highlights the emotions she feels as she navigates through certain experiences. This is also enhanced by Yun Jeong-hie’s phenomenal lead performance, as she beautifully captures the pain and longing in her character’s life that she tries to overcome. Overall, the quiet, contemplative atmosphere of this film creates an incredibly moving experience that’s hard to forget.

I highly recommend Poetry to anyone who wants to see a thoughtful examination of the connection between pain and beauty through an emotionally resonating narrative. Everything about this movie is exceptional, and it perfectly demonstrates why Lee is my favorite film director. His latest film, Possible Love, just premiered at the Venice International Film Festival earlier this week to very high praise, so keep an eye out for it when it releases on Netflix this November.

Poetry is currently available to stream on The Criterion Channel and Hoopla. Click here to watch the trailer.

– Review by Will Hopper

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