(Canada/South Korea, 115 min.)
Dir. Albert Shin, Writ. Pearl Ball-Harding,
Albert Shin
Starring: Ji-hye Ahn, Da-kyung Yoon, Hae-yeon Ki
Three women. No names. Only roles and
places.
The smart screenplay by Shin and Pearl
Ball-Harding dexterously offers perspectives from the three women in a
deceptively simple two-act structure. The first half of the film sees the
situation from the perspective of the woman from Seoul (let’s just call her
‘the woman’ for simplicity’s sake) as she resides with the family, showers
gifts on the expectant-mother (let’s just call her ‘the girl’), looks after her
health, and keeps company with the girl’s mother (whom we’ll just call ‘the
mother’). Things seem fine as far as the upcoming baby goes, although the woman
worries that the girl isn’t eating enough and might be putting the baby at risk
with her withdrawn spirit. The woman’s concern feels understandable: as a woman
awaiting the birth of the child that has long eluded her, this baby is the last
and probably most extreme chance she has of being a mother. On the other hand,
she’s also looking out for her side of a deal: she’s paying the girl and the
mother for this baby, so the product should be delivered with the utmost care.
Shin keeps the drama of the first section
of the film hesitant and restrained as the three women awkwardly dance about
their relationship and exchange pleasantries while they get through the
day-by-day. Things become increasingly uncomfortable in the second half,
however, when In Her Place deftly shifts
its point of view with a single cut. Seeing the situation from the eyes of the
girl, In Her Place conveys just how
inescapably awful and heartbreaking this situation is for her. She has no rights
over her own body, no agency, and no voice both literally and figuratively. As
the baby’s father returns to the picture and the girl flirts with the idea of
motherhood, though, In Her Place
reveals the unfathomably self-destructive actions she takes as punishment for
sacrificing her child. Where there is hope in one half of In Her Place, there is hell in the other.
In
Her Place finds its quiet, devastating power in the
trio of exceptional performances by its three actors. As the woman eagerly
anticipating motherhood, Da-kyhung Yoon is a dynamic force that puts the viewer
right in the crosshairs of this complicated dilemma. She has a strong maternal
sense: she’s caring, compassionate, and observational, and the actress’s
nuanced turn doesn’t let the viewer easily hook the blame on her for the
obvious exploitation of the girl carrying her baby. The first act of the film
even lets the woman’s aid of the family seem like charity and altruism: she’s a
good, likable woman, who simply waits to adopt her baby and give financial aid
to a family and honour to a mother feels shame for this birth outside wedlock.
The second act, however, turns the film on
its head as Ji-hye Ahn assumes control of the film with her remarkably subdued
performance as the girl. She barely utters a word throughout the film—she’s
barely even privileged to speak—yet she conveys a wealth of pain and despair
through her subtly tragic realization of the girl’s depression. Her escalating
psychological breakdown and complete loss of her sense of self gives the film
remarkable power and rightly shakes the viewer with the girl’s sense of loss.
The violation over her rights and her body trumps every other emotion brought
by the film.
And then there’s Hae-yeon Kil as the
mother, who might give the most heartrending performance of all when In Her Place looks at the tragedy
through her eyes during the film’s epilogue. The mother’s heartbreak creates
another victim in this tale of poverty, grief, and hardship. Conveying the
cruelty and irony of the situation, Hae-yeon lets the mother assume the
greatest burden of guilt while also demanding the most sympathy from the
audience. By the film’s end, one wants to know more about the hardship that
brought this woman to the point of putting her daughter and grandchild up for
sale. Her tired, dejected performance places the drama of In Her Place within a greater cycle of poverty and privilege. The
film is intimate with the raw power of the three actresses, and the resonance
of the tale extends far beyond the three women and invites audiences to seek
out the larger human rights story underlying the girl’s despair.
In
Her Place is currently nominated for seven awards
at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Film and kudos for all of
the actresses. It’s exactly the kind of film that audiences need to get behind right
now, as it smart and relevant, it offers diversity both in front of the camera and
behind it, and, most importantly, it introduces a filmmaker of substantial talent.
In Her Place marks Shin as one of the
most extraordinary new filmmakers on the Canadian film scene today. The film is
technically assured and Shin’s complex and understated hand with the actors is very impressive. This remarkable film—a sleeper
hit at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall—deserves every bit of
acclaim and attention it can get. The power and scope of In Her Place is bound to floor you.
Rating: ★★★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
In
Her Place opens in Toronto at The Carlton on
Friday, Feb. 13.
