Film critic Lee Dong-jin finally offered a personal explanation after some netizens poured malicious comments and criticism toward his rating of director Na Hong-jin's film "Hope."
On the 20th, critic Lee Dong-jin posted a long entry on his blog titled "This world is still." Earlier he left a 4-star rating for "Hope" and the one-line review, "A film that boldly races through a grotesque mess, the whole movie is a huge crescendo." However, some netizens who watched "Hope" strongly criticized critic Lee Dong-jin for giving the film a high rating and flooded him with malicious comments. Some even raised suspicions that critic Lee Dong-jin intentionally gave it 4 stars due to various external factors.
In an additional post, critic Lee Dong-jin addressed various rumors. He dismissed rumors of closeness, saying, "I am not close with director Na Hong-jin," and rebutted, "Some say I gave it a high rating because it's Na Hong-jin and his name carries weight, but my favorable review of 'Hope' is unrelated to who the director is. If I had clung to a name or valued personal relationships in my reviews, could I have evaluated films like 'I Saw The Devil' 'Wonderland' 'I, The Executioner' 'Alien+Human' 'Byunsan' that way?"
He continued, "I hold Na Hong-jin in very high regard as a creator. I consider him one of the most outstanding directors in Korea. It's not that I like Na Hong-jin so his films are good; it's that I like him because, in my view, he has consistently made good films. Or I only like him temporarily when he is in the situation of continually making good films."
He also said, "I did not rate 'Hope' highly because the Korean film industry is in a difficult position or because Megabox is in crisis," adding, "For me, the evaluation of each film in front of me is always more important than the overall situation of the Korean film industry. Even if my evaluation makes someone more disadvantaged, I believe I must grit my teeth and evaluate what I saw. Ultimately, I believe that is also the way to serve the film industry."
He also explained, "I do not give an extra half star just because it's a Korean film. If you simply compare the arithmetic average of the stars I gave Korean films and foreign films this year, you will see that's not true." He also said, "I did not rate it highly out of deference," and regarding economic reasons or so-called "social life," he stated, "I have no reason to praise or pan a film because of money," and "What reason would I have to watch my step?"
Critic Lee Dong-jin said, "Then there will still be people asking why I liked 'Hope.' Because I thought the film was excellent. Despite its flaws, it has very strong strengths that outweigh them; it is an attractive, original and entertaining film," adding, "On the contrary, I have explained at great length why I rated this film highly. But if you still claim you don't know the reason and keep asking why this film is good, you simply don't like that I like a film you dislike."
He said, "A film can be someone's life and destiny, but it can also, in another view, just be a film. So why do you mock or get so angry after watching one film? Opinions are not facts. That 'Hope' is excellent is my opinion. And that it is an unjust film is your opinion," drawing a line by saying, "Just because relatively more people lean toward a particular opinion does not make that opinion a fact. More people's opinions are not always the better opinions."
He added, "Whether critics or audiences, there is no objectivity in evaluating film (art). Facts that differ and clash are hard to coexist. But opinions can differ sufficiently. Different opinions can peacefully coexist. And by sharing different opinions we can expand experience. That way art becomes richer and society can improve. After all, we are different people. This is the world we must live in. This world is not yet Hopohang."
Meanwhile, director Na Hong-jin's new film "Hope" begins when Beom-seok (Hwang Jung-min), the head of the Hopohang branch office located in the demilitarized zone, hears from local youths that a tiger has appeared, and as the whole village is put on alert he encounters an unbelievable reality. It opened on the 15th and drew 2.12 million admissions in its opening week, boasting the fastest box office pace of the year.
[Photo] SNS, Plus M Entertainment
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