A Good Lawyer's Wife
Encyclopedia
A Good Lawyer's Wife is a 2003
South Korea
n film written and directed by Im Sang-soo
. The film is about the various affairs of members of a dysfunctional South Korean family.
), who gave up her dancing career in order to be "A Good Lawyer's Wife", raises their young adopted son and works as a dance instructor in the local gym.
Ju Yeong-jak's father, Chang-geun (Kim In-mun), an alcoholic with a fatal liver failure, has not slept with his wife in 15 years. She is having an affair with another man, and when Chang-geun finally dies, she tells Yeong-jak and Ho-jeong about her relationship with the other man—an old friend from her grade school—and says that she even plans to marry him. Her daughter-in-law Ho-jeong supports her.
Ho-jeong herself cannot achieve an orgasm
from Yeong-jak. But for reasons that are not made clear in the English subtitles, he is not satisfied by her either and is having an affair with a young woman, who is an artist and a former model (Baek Jeong-rim). By having her peg
him, he receives from the young woman the satisfaction he lacks at home.
When Ho-jeong catches her teenager neighbor (Bong Tae-gyu
) peeping
on her undressing in her apartment, she is, at first, angered. But she then decides to fulfill his peeping wish and allows him to see her doing nude gymnastics through the window. He then follows her on his bike and even barges into her dance class. She eventually follows him to the cinema where they talk. As they watch a movie, she teases him by acting oblivious to him groping her breasts.
Meanwhile, Yeong-jak runs a drunk motor cyclist off the road while receiving a blowjob
from his young mistress
. Chang-guen takes the man to a hospital but drops off his girlfriend on the way; his primary concern is that the presence of his girlfriend not become public knowledge. Due to the other driver's reputation as a quarrelsome eccentric alcoholic, the authorities assume that the other driver is entirely responsible for the crash.
Yeong-jak promises the man, a postman who needs to be able to drive to keep his job, that if the postman does not mention that there was a woman in the car he will use his legal connections to make sure that the man does not suffer any consequences for having been driving while drunk.
One evening, after she Ho-jeon finally learns about her husband's affair, she tells her teenage neighbor to follow her without giving any details except suggestively saying "I hope you'll be okay." She takes him to the abandoned dance hall. Without exchanging a word, she just allows him to mount her, but he soon stops and rolls aside (apparently the victim of premature ejaculation
). Not giving up, she fellates him. She then mounts him herself while at the same time giving him a handjob
, moving in spasm
s and moaning loudly as she finally gains her long sought orgasm.
The father of Ho-jeong's teenager neighbor soon finds out about their affair and exposes it to Yeong-jak, unaware that Yeong-jak apparently does not care what his wife does. However, Yeong-jak fails to keep his promise to the postman. The postman kidnaps Yeong-jak's adopted son and throws him off a building to his death. The postman then commits suicide.
Yeong-jak and Ho-jeong are devastated by their son's death. Ho-jeong blames Yeong-jak for starting the chain of circumstances that ended with the murder/suicide.
The story ends on an enigmatic note. Ho-jeong discovers than she is pregnant and knows that Yeong-jak cannot be the father. He offers to accept the child as his own but she informs him that he is "out of the picture."
It is unclear from the final scene if Yeong-jak is hurt or relieved by her announcement.
The story also addresses the legacy of the Korean War
and its impact on many families. Yeong-jak's father and grandfather escaped from the communist north
—apparently during the war. Yeong-jak's grandmother and his father's sisters remained in the north and "perished". Yeong-jak's father is last seen in the final stages of dementia
singing a communist anthem honoring North Korean leader Kim Il-sung
.
Yeong-jak goes out into the country to inform his grandfather of the death and discovers that his grandfather has been dead for six months, and that his grandfather's young female companion had not notified the other members of the family.
There is also a subplot about the excavation of a mass grave containing the remains of Korean civilians who were killed—apparently by the communists—during the Korean War.
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n film written and directed by Im Sang-soo
Im Sang-soo
Im Sang-soo is an award-winning South Korean film director and screenwriter.-Early life and film career:Im was born in Seoul. He studied sociology at Seoul's Yonsei University before making a move to The Korean Academy of Film Arts in 1989...
. The film is about the various affairs of members of a dysfunctional South Korean family.
Plot
Ju Yeong-jak (Hwang Jung-min) is a successful lawyer who works long hours. While he is working, his wife Eun Ho-jeong (Moon So-riMoon So-ri
- Career :Moon So-ri appeared in plays and short films such as Black Cut and To the Spring Mountain before finding fame as a leading actress. Her first film role was in Lee Chang-dong's acclaimed Peppermint Candy, however her acting skills were not really showcased until she appeared in her second...
), who gave up her dancing career in order to be "A Good Lawyer's Wife", raises their young adopted son and works as a dance instructor in the local gym.
Ju Yeong-jak's father, Chang-geun (Kim In-mun), an alcoholic with a fatal liver failure, has not slept with his wife in 15 years. She is having an affair with another man, and when Chang-geun finally dies, she tells Yeong-jak and Ho-jeong about her relationship with the other man—an old friend from her grade school—and says that she even plans to marry him. Her daughter-in-law Ho-jeong supports her.
Ho-jeong herself cannot achieve an orgasm
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
from Yeong-jak. But for reasons that are not made clear in the English subtitles, he is not satisfied by her either and is having an affair with a young woman, who is an artist and a former model (Baek Jeong-rim). By having her peg
Pegging (sexual practice)
Pegging is a sexual practice in which a woman penetrates a man's anus with a strap-on dildo. The neologism "pegging" was popularized when it became the winning entry in a contest in Dan Savage's Savage Love sex advice column, held after an observation was made that there was no common name for the...
him, he receives from the young woman the satisfaction he lacks at home.
When Ho-jeong catches her teenager neighbor (Bong Tae-gyu
Bong Tae-gyu
- Filmography :- External links :...
) peeping
Voyeurism
In clinical psychology, voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other activity usually considered to be of a private nature....
on her undressing in her apartment, she is, at first, angered. But she then decides to fulfill his peeping wish and allows him to see her doing nude gymnastics through the window. He then follows her on his bike and even barges into her dance class. She eventually follows him to the cinema where they talk. As they watch a movie, she teases him by acting oblivious to him groping her breasts.
Meanwhile, Yeong-jak runs a drunk motor cyclist off the road while receiving a blowjob
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
from his young mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
. Chang-guen takes the man to a hospital but drops off his girlfriend on the way; his primary concern is that the presence of his girlfriend not become public knowledge. Due to the other driver's reputation as a quarrelsome eccentric alcoholic, the authorities assume that the other driver is entirely responsible for the crash.
Yeong-jak promises the man, a postman who needs to be able to drive to keep his job, that if the postman does not mention that there was a woman in the car he will use his legal connections to make sure that the man does not suffer any consequences for having been driving while drunk.
One evening, after she Ho-jeon finally learns about her husband's affair, she tells her teenage neighbor to follow her without giving any details except suggestively saying "I hope you'll be okay." She takes him to the abandoned dance hall. Without exchanging a word, she just allows him to mount her, but he soon stops and rolls aside (apparently the victim of premature ejaculation
Premature ejaculation
Premature ejaculation is a condition in which a man ejaculates earlier than he or his partner would like him to. Premature ejaculation is also known as rapid ejaculation, rapid climax, premature climax, or early ejaculation....
). Not giving up, she fellates him. She then mounts him herself while at the same time giving him a handjob
Handjob
Handjob is a slang or informal word referring to an act of manual stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner, whether female or male, usually to the point of orgasm and ejaculation. The act is similar to male masturbation, though the latter is performed by a male on himself...
, moving in spasm
Spasm
In medicine a spasm is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ, or a similarly sudden contraction of an orifice. It is sometimes accompanied by a sudden burst of pain, but is usually harmless and ceases after a few minutes...
s and moaning loudly as she finally gains her long sought orgasm.
The father of Ho-jeong's teenager neighbor soon finds out about their affair and exposes it to Yeong-jak, unaware that Yeong-jak apparently does not care what his wife does. However, Yeong-jak fails to keep his promise to the postman. The postman kidnaps Yeong-jak's adopted son and throws him off a building to his death. The postman then commits suicide.
Yeong-jak and Ho-jeong are devastated by their son's death. Ho-jeong blames Yeong-jak for starting the chain of circumstances that ended with the murder/suicide.
The story ends on an enigmatic note. Ho-jeong discovers than she is pregnant and knows that Yeong-jak cannot be the father. He offers to accept the child as his own but she informs him that he is "out of the picture."
It is unclear from the final scene if Yeong-jak is hurt or relieved by her announcement.
The story also addresses the legacy of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and its impact on many families. Yeong-jak's father and grandfather escaped from the communist north
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
—apparently during the war. Yeong-jak's grandmother and his father's sisters remained in the north and "perished". Yeong-jak's father is last seen in the final stages of dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
singing a communist anthem honoring North Korean leader Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
.
Yeong-jak goes out into the country to inform his grandfather of the death and discovers that his grandfather has been dead for six months, and that his grandfather's young female companion had not notified the other members of the family.
There is also a subplot about the excavation of a mass grave containing the remains of Korean civilians who were killed—apparently by the communists—during the Korean War.