Almost the entire run time of Treeless Mountain is shot in close up, of one face in particular – that of Jin (Hee Yeon Kim), a young girl suddenly thrust into a world of confusing adult decisions and motivations. The movie hangs on the expressions and reactions of this young girl and her even younger sister, a conceit that works beautifully.
This claustrophobic camerawork belies the enormous inner world of Jin and her younger sister Bin (Song Hee Kim). Their Mom (Soo Ah Lee) is a distant one and we never get a specific reason why, outside of the fact that her husband has left. But this is never directly confronted, keeping the POV of the story at little kid level.
Then even more confusion is heaped on these little heads. These girls struggle to get their bearings after Mom (Soo Ah Lee) goes in search of her estranged husband and dumps her daughters at the home of Big Aunt (Mi Hyang Kim). Big Aunt’s not much of a prize, unfortunately: a cranky woman who drinks a too much. It isn’t unusual for the girls to find her passed out on the floor, leaving them to fend for themselves.
This is how they spend much of the film, both emotionally and in the physical space of the frame – secluded, isolated, trapped in some strange world. The girls manage to bond in this situation and even manage to figure out a money raising scheme, seeing as how they seem to be the only people adult enough to take care of them.
They learn how to operate in this strange world that seems interested only in time and money. Adult decisions seem motivated most by either saving time or saving money. The girls’ hopes are pinned on filling up their plastic piggy bank, having been told that when it is full, their mother will return. They equate a container of coins with the end of a terrible motherless era. When the Big Aunt finally sends the girls elsewhere, the chief concern is what a burden they’ve been on her. Considering most of her parenting has been delivered from the floor, it’s doubtful the burden is one of emotion.
Mom and Big Aunt turn out to be unreliable and not terribly close. This relationship casts a shadow on Jin and Bin, two girls so young they can’t help but be molded by this experience. Will they grow apart from each other like their Mom and Big Aunt? Or will this prove to be a bonding experience? The two girls ride this line through the entire film which leads a thoroughly satisfying and bittersweet climax.
What’s most astounding here is the work of these young girls and the other kids they interact with. How does anyone get children of this age to act so naturally? Director So Yong barely takes the camera off these two girls and yet every frame is completely true to life. Even if the deliberate pace isn’t your cup of tea, it’s hard not to be pulled in by these young faces, who spend every moment on a tightrope, wondering when the other shoe will drop, their lives seeming to come at them out of nowhere. The story is a simple one, but what these girls are going through is so complex.
Also, Oscilloscope Laboratories has put together another beautiful volume with Treeless Mountain, giving this out of the way movie the respect it deserves.
The film is presented in 1.78:1 and is shot with an eye for the real. Nothing guaze-y or flashy – very down to Earth stuff. The audio is 5.1 surround and presented in Korean with English subtitles.
Deleted Scenes – Three scenes that were cut from the film that give some insight to how So Yong built the performances of these two young girls. (4:43)
Outtakes – Some more moments that didn’t make it into the film, again providing a interesting look behind the camera. (2:47)
Interview with Hee Yeon Kim and Song Hee Kim June 2009 – The girls are interviewed in during a trip to the Altin Koza Film Festival in Turkey. (6:30)
Post Screening Q&A with So Yong Kim at New York’s Film Forum – So Yong discusses the process of making the film, with more revelations about having such young kids as your stars. (13:23)
Treeless Mountain really takes its time but it’s worth a couple of hours to watch where this pretty little film goes.
Oscilloscope Laboratories presents Treeless Mountain. Directed by: So Yong Kim. Starring: Hee Yeon Kim, Song Hee Kim, Mi Hyang Kim, Soo Ah Lee. Written by: So Yong Kim. Running time: 89 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: September 15, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
