Bae Chang-Ho’s My Heart shall be screened today at the Max Mueller Bhavan at 1830 hours i. e. 6:30 in the evening. The director is considered the foremost exponent of the Korean New Wave cinema. In a stark departure from his usual style of film-making, My Heart is set in the Korea of 1920’s.

The movie is shot amidst the beautiful scenery of Korea. It tells the story of Sun-Yi (played by Kim Yoo-Mi, the director’s wife), who is married off to a ten-year old spoiled brat. When her husband grows past adolescence, he brings home a mistress much to the petrifaction of Sun-Yi. The movie tells the story of how Sun-Yi leaves home and searches for an identity of her own. In a way, the movie mirrors the struggle of Korea to find its identity in a shrinking world.

Here’s what director Bae Chang-Ho thought of his movie’s purpose:

In 1985, I filmed Deep Blue Night, which dealt with the issue of identity among illegal Korean immigrants in the U.S.

It has been many years since then and today Korea is experiencing the effects of globalization. The government has made English a must-learn foreign language, which students are required to learn. As the boundaries of culture have become somewhat ambiguous, I think it is time to think seriously about Korean identity.

The answer to the question, ‘Who are Koreans?’ has been the driving force behind making My Heart. I hope people around the world can understand the psychological characteristics of Koreans represented by jung (love, affection) in this movies.

My Heart, my 15th film, has its background in the beginning of the 20th century when the traditional culture of Korea was vividly alive. I hope it shows the origins of Korean way of thinking.

The movie has won the First Prize and Audience Award at Benodes International Film Festival, France and the Audience Award, Udine Far East Film Festival, Italy.