Grief is messy. It is also one of the most powerful emotions that we experience as humans. It can cut across racial, political, and religious lines, uniting us in a tragically common experience. Historically, the Arts & Faith Top 100 has tended to privilege films with a more muted emotional palette to the expressive histrionics associated with some expressions of religious faith. The affect-less taciturnity of a Robert Bresson hero becomes a broader Kuleshov-like mirror into which we can project, then see, our own reflection. That may be one reason among several why Chang-dong Lee’s Secret Sunshine was not immediately embraced by voters. Another is that its depiction of religion is complicated and ultimately ambiguous. More than most American films, this one recognizes the ways in which religious communities glory in the prestige of high-profile converts, often to the detriment of those still finding their way in and to them. When a woman faces an unspeakable tragedy, she initially finds solace in a religious community. But is she connecting with the teachings of the religion or the actions of those identified as religious? Secret Sunshine examines an under-represented feature of the Christian faith — evangelism. How and why do denominations (or religions) try to make themselves attractive to new members, and do those attempts ultimately become more important than the theological or moral codes that the religious communities allegedly live by? — Kenneth R. Morefield
- Directed by: Chang-dong Lee
- Produced by: Lee Hanna In Soo Kim
- Written by: Chang-dong Lee Chung-Joon Lee
- Music by: Christian Basso
- Cinematography by: Yong-kyou Cho
- Editing by: Hyun Kim
- Release Date: 2007
- Running Time: 142
- Language: Korean
Arts & Faith Lists:
2020 Top 100 — #67