A Good Lawyer's Wife
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''A Good Lawyer's Wife'' () is a 2003 South Korean film written and directed by
Im Sang-soo Im Sang-soo (born April 27, 1962) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He has twice been invited to compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, with '' The Housemaid'' in 2010 and ''The Taste of Money'' in 2012. Early li ...
. The film is about the various affairs of members of a dysfunctional South Korean family.


Plot

Ju Yeong-jak (
Hwang Jung-min Hwang Jung-min (born September 1, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He is one of the highest-grossing actors in South Korea, and has starred in several box office hits such as ''Ode to My Father'' (2014), ''Veteran'' (2015), ''The Himalayas'' (2015 ...
) is a successful lawyer who works long hours. While he is working, his wife Eun Ho-jeong (
Moon So-ri Moon So-ri (born July 2, 1974) is a South Korean actress, film director and screenwriter. She is best known for her acclaimed leading roles in ''Oasis'' (2002) and ''A Good Lawyer's Wife'' (2003). Career After graduating with a degree in Educa ...
), who gave up her dancing career in order to be "a good lawyer's wife," raises their young adopted son (Kim Young-chan) and works as a dance instructor in the local gym. Ju Yeong-jak's father, Ju Chang-geun (
Kim In-mun Kim Inmun (629–694) was a noted aristocrat, scholar, and official of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. He was the son of Muyeol of Silla, Muyeol and the younger brother of Munmu of Silla, Munmu, the twenty-ninth and thirtieth kings respectiv ...
), an
alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...
with a terminal liver failure, has not slept with his wife Hong Byung-han (
Youn Yuh-jung Youn Yuh-jung (, ; born June 19, 1947) is a South Korean actress, whose career in film and television spans over five decades. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a British Academy Film Award, an Independent Spi ...
) 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 (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling") or sexual climax is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, resulting in rhythmic, involuntary muscular contractions in the pelvic region charac ...
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 Kim Yeon, a younger woman who is an artist and a former model ( Baek Jeong-rim). He receives from Yeon the satisfaction he lacks at home. When Ho-jeong catches her teenage neighbor Shin Ji-woon (
Bong Tae-gyu Bong Tae-gyu (born 19 May 1981) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Television show Hosting Radio shows Music video appearances Theater Awards and nominations References External links Bong ...
) 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 Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act involving a person stimulating the penis of another person by using the mouth, throat, or both. Oral stimulation of the scrotum may ...
from his young
mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...
. Yeong-jak 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 (
Sung Ji-ru Sung Ji-ru (born October 16, 1968) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Awards and nominations References External links * * * 1968 births Living people People from Gongju 20th-century Sout ...
), 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-jeong finally learns about her husband's affair, she tells Ji-woon 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 (PE) occurs when a man expels semen (and most likely experiences orgasm) soon after beginning sexual activity, and with minimal penile stimulation. It has also been called ''early ejaculation'', ''rapid ejaculation'', ''ra ...
). Not giving up, she fellates him. She then mounts him herself while at the same time giving him a
handjob A handjob, also spelled hand job, is a sex act, performed as either foreplay or as non-penetrative sex, that involves the manual stimulation of the penis or scrotum by another person to induce an erection for sexual pleasure, sexual arousal and s ...
, moving in
spasm A spasm is a sudden involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ such as the bladder. A spasmodic muscle contraction may be caused by many medical conditions, including dystonia. Most commonly, it is a muscle c ...
s and moaning loudly as she finally gains her long sought orgasm. Ji-woon's father 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 , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
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 Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
singing a communist anthem honoring North Korean leader
Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...
. 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.


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Good Lawyer's Wife, A 2003 films 2003 comedy-drama films South Korean drama films South Korean black comedy films 2000s erotic drama films Adultery in films Films directed by Im Sang-soo Myung Films films Chungeorahm Films films 2000s Korean-language films South Korean erotic drama films 2000s South Korean films