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Poetry

Play trailer 1:43 Poster for Poetry 2011 2h 19m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 71 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Kind-hearted Mija (Yun Jung-hee) is tasked with raising her troubled teenage grandson, Jong-wook, while her daughter works in far-off Busan. In denial that her abilities as a caregiver are threatened by the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, Mija begins to study poetry writing at the local cultural center. At first she finds inspiration in the beauty of the natural world, but then, when Jong-wook is mired in a shocking scandal, Mija taps into newfound depths of disappointment and pain.
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Poetry

Poetry

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Critics Consensus

Poetry is an absorbing, poignant drama because it offers no easy answers to its complex central conflict.

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Critics Reviews

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Trevor Johnston Sight & Sound 07/10/2018
It's fair to say that the subject-matter... is likely to be a hard sell, but the quality of the film is such that it simply demands an airing. Go to Full Review
J. R. Jones Chicago Reader 01/04/2012
True to the title, writer-director Lee Chang-dong is principally concerned with rendering emotions that seem inexpressible. Go to Full Review
Maggie Lee The Hollywood Reporter 01/04/2012
Those with an eye for reading between the lines can find layers of meaning. Go to Full Review
Kathy Fennessy Video Librarian Magazine Mar 7
4/5
Poetry serves as an indictment of a society that sweeps sexual assault under the rug, the better to coddle the perpetrators at the expense of the victims, and to keep the cycle going in perpetuity. Lee wrote the central part for the radiant Yun Jeong-hie. Go to Full Review
Felicia Feaster Charleston City Paper 01/21/2020
That untapped potential and creativity lurking even within ordinary people is the overriding theme of Lee's achingly poignant film. Go to Full Review
Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm 01/17/2020
3.5/4
Yun gives us a lifetime in a few hours. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 9 Success in 2 hours and 19 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Korean and American English audio versions with American English subtitles!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $355,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more 05/24/2022 Veteran Korean actress Yoon Jeong-hee is the truest morally sympathetic soul that keeps the well-written poignant drama afloat that poetically describes wordlessly her thought process towards new developments in life she had to find new meaning. Its titular subject absorbed attention and how such learning experience gets approached and meaningfully structured, despite at times losing focus and just become performative showcases. That very focus becomes more distant when the central conflict makes the story problematically immoral in depicting illogically stalled injustice that lacks depth for any sort of presented reasons. (B) See more 03/10/2022 To be clear and honest, such a boring and slow-paced film with an inferior ability to catch the attention of the audience. Not much interesting aspects in the narrative or the plot of this movie See more william d @acsdoug 10/04/2021 Yoon Jeong-hee is exceptional. See more dave s 09/26/2021 Poetry is a quiet and contemplative film about finding hope in the face of unthinkable sorrow and loss. Yang Mija is a grandmother who takes care of her grandson, a taciturn teen who is found to be implicated in the suicide of a schoolmate. While dealing with this matter, she discovers that her recent bouts of memory loss are attributable to the early stages of Alzheimer's. In order to find solace and meaning, she enrolls in a poetry class. The movie relies on images to express the feelings experienced by the characters, most notably those of the devastated grandmother, relying on long takes and probing shots of faces and actions. Despite an ambiguous ending regarding the fate of the protagonist, it's a poignant film about coming to terms with fate. See more 02/01/2021 Directed by Lee Chang-dong in 2010, "Poetry" (Original: Shi) is a Korean film and the winner of the "Best Screenplay Award" at the Cannes Film Festival, along with its success in winning and being nominated for several prizes in terms of best screenplay, best picture, best actress and best achievement in directing. The film mainly tells the story of an old woman who developed an interest in writing a poem in her late sixties when she was also diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and has trouble remembering the words. On the other hand, there is another story parallel to her interest in poetry: Her adolescent grandson whom she raises committed a crime in collaboration with five of his classmates. They raped one of their classmates who ended up committing suicide after six months of constant assault. Full review: https://guncesinema.com/en/south-korean-cinema-poetry/ See more Read all reviews
Poetry

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Movie Info

Synopsis Kind-hearted Mija (Yun Jung-hee) is tasked with raising her troubled teenage grandson, Jong-wook, while her daughter works in far-off Busan. In denial that her abilities as a caregiver are threatened by the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, Mija begins to study poetry writing at the local cultural center. At first she finds inspiration in the beauty of the natural world, but then, when Jong-wook is mired in a shocking scandal, Mija taps into newfound depths of disappointment and pain.
Director
Lee Chang-dong
Producer
Lee Jun-dong
Screenwriter
Lee Chang-dong
Production Co
Painhauseupilreum
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Korean
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 11, 2011, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Apr 26, 2024
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 24, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$355.0K
Runtime
2h 19m
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