TREELESS MOUNTAIN (나무없는 산)

Jin and Bin atop their metaphoric treeless mount

Directed by: Kim So Yong
Country of origin: South Korea (2008)
Starring: Kim Hee Yeon, Kim Song Hee, Lee Soo Ah




Acclaimed Korean director Kim So Yong continues her exploration of young female protagonists with her next arthouse poster child Treeless Mountain. Following the the lives of two young sisters who are basically abandoned by their mother (who goes off to look for their estranged father), the film progresses slowly, taking its time to convey the emotional impact it has on the girls. Treeless Mountain almost seems existential in areas; the film has very little dialogue and focuses more on the facial expressions and movements of the young girls. Critics have criticized Kim's second feature film for being too slow, and I do agree that the film seems to sluggishly meander through many areas. The girls do a lot of walking, a lot of staring, and not much conversing. Treeless seems like a minimalist painting, in that Kim took a blank canvas and added only a few strokes of paint. The characters are very ordinary, the cinematography is not elaborate, and in areas the story verges on boring. It feels like a documentary, a day in the life of an average Korean girl, but it seems obvious that director Kim sought to make her audience feel just this. Treeless Mountain is truly an arthouse film, and although it's story is so simplistic, many viewers will not understand the real points Kim is trying to make.

The symbolic piggy bank

Treeless Mountain isn't exactly a feel-good movie. Like several East Asian films that I've seen, in general the children of the film are treated like stray dogs. The majority of adults speak to them in a very irritative tone, often with hateful words. Jin, a six year old girl in kindergarden, is seemingly expected to act like an adult, and when she doesn't handle one of the many responsibilities she has correctly, she is scolded. "Big Aunt" and even their beloved mother seem to be the biggest perpetrators in general, blaming Jin for the wrong-doings of her little sister and telling them to "shut up" when hungry. Specifically Big Aunt is very hateful towards the girls. She dines in front of them while they were vocally hungry, constantly refers to them as a burden, and even mocks Jin when she wet the bed. Obviously, Kim went out of her way to make Big Aunt seem hateful, but the same element seemed to exist in other characters as well. The mother, while having a couple subtly encouraging lines, spoke to her daughters with a distinct disdain. It was like she could never be pleased, even when Jin brought home a homework sheet that she was given an A+ on. It was never good enough. Even strangers in the street and older students were rude, knocking into one of the girls and telling her to watch out, or refusing to pay more than 10 cents for a bag of grasshoppers. These little things all add up to a somber tone that consumes the lives of the girls and, thus, the film. Perhaps this disregard to the comforting of children is a cultural thing among the Asian culture, but it seems ironic to me, since babies are treasured and doted upon so much. As a result of the constant negativity, I found it very difficult to cheer for Jin and Bin, and just found myself feeling so sorry for them. It was very depressing at points.

Running in search of her mother

 Kim So Yong does intend to introduce some amount of hope at the end of Treeless Mountain, when the girls go to live with their grandmother. The old women treats them so kindly, and the girls truly appear to be happy. The simple life that they begin to live with their grandparents seems to be a relief of stress for Jin and Bin. The girls no longer worry so much about seeing their mother, and the film end with Jin assuring Bin that they'd see her again very soon. The girls show a sign of maturity when they give their grandmother their hard-earned money so that she can buy new shoes. The piggy bank seems to act as a symbol of the mother's abandonment, and as they finally give it up, a stress is seemingly eased. The film closes with the girls following their grandmother, hand in hand, singing a song. These instances together would make it seem as if the girl's new mindset on everything is obvious to the viewer, but unfortunately this isn't so. In reality, the girls are only with their grandmother in the film for about 25 minutes, an amount of time not really enough to really see their change of heart for what it is. It was easy for me to see through facial expressions and symbolism this shift, but I can see it's ending being vague and abrupt to most people. With a very homely story, unenthusiastic characters, and not even a score to help drive the piece, Kim's Treeless Mountain does tend to drag on. But looking past its simplicity, one will see that Kim takes her time with the camera in order to dwell on the heartfelt, sincere acting of her child actors. There is definitely some value to be had in the adorable, honest performances of the girls, but Treeless Mountain may appear too plain and boring for many. 

**3/4 / *****