Two Films, Two Takes on Sex

The Myeongdong Cine Qua Non Cinema in Seoul, owned by the Japanese movie production company Cine Qua Non headed by Korean-Japanese Lee Bong-woo (known for directing and importing Korean movies such as “Swiri” and “Seopyeonje”), has selected two unique films for its first release.

Renovating Cats 21, located near the Myungdong Miliore and possessing 90 to 140 seats in five theatres, is showing the Korean movie “Yasu and Jakupaejungsuk,” the Spanish film “Kill Me Tender,” and the American documentary film “Inside Deep Throat.” One theater will be specializing in Japanese films starting February.

Opening on January 12, “Kill Me Tender” and “Inside Deep Throat” are similar in their blatant approach to sex, but the two films are not just pornography. They adopt a socially critical and humanistic approach to sexual criticism, thus reflecting the character of the theater.

Inside Deep Throat-

Inside Deep Throat is a documentary film, a “movie that deals with movies.” Based on the 1972 version released in the US, the film contains movie production notes and tales from behind the scenes. The original version was a classic pornographic film. When first released, it received attention due to its radical topic and due to its being the first pornographic movie that opened in American theaters.

The storyline is simple; a middle-aged woman discovers that her erogenous zone is located in her mouth and indulges in sex following her discovery. But the bold description and honest portrayal of women’s sexual needs, as well as the low production budget of $25,000 yielded a successful film that depicts sexual freedom, the women’s liberation movement, and the cynicism toward the older generation that was prevalent in American society at the time.

But this movie caused a sensation that was enough to make another movie out of what happened behind the scenes. Two years after its release, a restriction on pornographic material was imposed, which eventually led to the arrest of the film’s leading actor, Harry Reems. But thanks to the Watergate scandal and its anonymous whistleblower code named “Deep Throat,” the movie became a legend that transcended freedom of expression.

The wave of feminism that ensued a few years later pitted the pornographic industry against women, and the movie again became the target of radical feminists. Even the movie’s leading actress, Linda Lovelace, became part of the feminist outcry against pornography.

“Inside Deep Throat” was created by a documentary team from HBO that created the movie by reconstructing scenes through interviews with the actors, film staff, and related personnel over a period of two years. The production is meaningful in that it reflects on the film not as a one-time product that caused a social and cultural sensation, but as a film that illustrates and portrays changing times.

Kill Me Tender–

“Kill Me Tender” revolves around a small village near Barcelona where ordinary people choose sex as a means to escape boredom. All the characters, including the twenty-something character Maribel, are upfront about their sexual needs. The old baker that lusts after a woman younger than his daughter, the woman’s lover that looks to kill the baker for his money, and the baker’s daughter that divorces her dentist husband after discovering that he bought women for sex are all based on real lives.

Though sex is its main code, the message that the director aims to convey is a black comedy dealing with life’s unpredictability and its ridiculous qualities. The actions of the main characters are bizarre, but the viewers can relate to them because they make the optimal choices in any given situation. The characters lack a sense of reality, and the storyline is weak, but the discovery of the next Penelope Cruz, Ingrid Rubio (who plays Maribel) is worth the price of admission.

Mun-Myung Huh angelhuh@donga.com