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Rainbow Trout
Institute of Contemporary Arts
A woman stands under an umbrella in heavy rain, while beside her a couple embraces in a kiss
Rainbow Trout (송어), dir. Park Jong-won, South Korea 1999, 100 min., Korean with English subtitles, 12


A small van-load of city people heads into the hills. There are two thirty-something couples plus one younger sister, Se-hwa, off to visit old school friend Chang-hyeon. He has turned his back on his career and middle-class comforts and operates a trout farm. His only company is Tae-ju, a strange boy who runs a kennel. When Tae-ju becomes fixated on the young Se-hwa, the urban sophisticates see their outing turn more than challenging.

The clash between city and country, urban middle classes and hard-edged rural folk may have roots in mythical archetypes, although John Boorman’s 1972 Deliverance made sure that the myth was relevant to contemporary cinema. In this ensemble, Sul Kyung-gu appears in his first main role as husband to Jeong-hwa (Kang Soo-yeon), while Lee Eun-ju – fated to have a tragically brief career – debuts as Se-hwa.

The film is presented from a 35mm print.
 

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