''Arirang'' ( ko, 아리랑) is a 2011 South Korean documentary film by

Kim Ki-duk Kim Ki-duk ( ; 20 December 196011 December 2020) was a South Korean film director and screenwriter, noted for his idiosyncratic art-house cinematic works. His films have received many distinctions in the festival circuit, rendering him one of ...

. The film addresses a personal crisis Kim went through, sparked by an incident during the filming of his previous film, ''

Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

'', where the lead actress nearly died by hanging, and by the departure of a couple of close colleagues, including the director

Jang Hoon Jang Hoon (born May 4, 1975) is a South Korean film director. He directed the films ''Rough Cut'' (2008), '' Secret Reunion'' (2010), '' The Front Line'' (2011), and '' A Taxi Driver '' (2017). Career Jang Hoon (along with Jang Cheol-soo ...

. The title comes from a Korean folk song with the same title. In a heavily line-broken text released about the film, Kim writes that "Through ''Arirang'' I understand human beings, thank the nature, and accept my life as it is now." Kim produced the film entirely on his own. It premiered in the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...

section of the

2011 Cannes Film Festival The 64th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 May 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition. South ...

, where it won the ''Prix un certain regard''.

Release

The film premiered on 13 May at the

where it was screened in

. Kim only did one interview at the festival, where he said that he felt better than when he made the film, and that it had helped him cure himself. At one occasion during the interview, Kim suddenly started to sob and sang "Arirang".

Reception

After attending the festival screening in Cannes, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

s Leslie Felperin wrote: "Further evidence, as if it were needed, that digital is both the liberation of low-budget filmmaking and the enabler of self-indulgence". Felperin went on to call ''Arirang'' "An experience that can be likened only to being stuck next to a drunk in a bar who keeps reminding you he used to be famous, all his friends are bastards and he now understands the meaning of life". In '' Screen Daily'', Dan Fainaru called it "the ultimate 'film d'auteur'", and wrote: "Doing it justice in a short review is almost impossible, not because Kim Ki-duk is providing revolutionary insights into his line of work, but because he raises numerous issues that are too often ignored as irrelevant or pedantic by professionals who should know better."

Peter Bradshaw Peter Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire''. Early life and education Bradshaw was educated at Haberdasher ...

wrote: "It is the most extravagantly self-indulgent piece of pure loopiness imaginable – but gripping as well. A piece of experimentalism at odds with convention." The film won the Prize of Un Certain Regard, the top award for best film in the section. The win was shared with the German film '' Stopped on Track'', directed by

Andreas Dresen Andreas Dresen (born 16 August 1963) is a German film director. His directing credits include '' Cloud 9'', ''Summer in Berlin'', ''Grill Point'' and ''Night Shapes''. His film ''Stopped on Track'' premiered at the Un Certain Regard section at th ...

References

Publications

MARTONOVA, (2012) A. To feel HAN
Arirang
by Kim Ki-duk) // Kino, No.3, Sofia:p. 49-47, ISSN 0861-4393 �а чувстваш ХАН („Ариран" на Ким Ки-док). – Original title in Bulgarian

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arirang (2011 Film) 2011 films 2011 documentary films South Korean documentary films Autobiographical documentary films Films directed by Kim Ki-duk 2010s Korean-language films Documentary films about South Korea 2010s South Korean films