Seo Woo's Movie Picks

Movies with the strongest impression, regardless of genre

"She is one of a kind," Lee Sun-kyun had said after struggling to find an expression that befits his co-star of film "Paju". And Seo Woo is definitely one of a kind. The acting she has shown the audience during the past three years of her career is enough to explain why 'drastic' words such as 'monstrous' or 'demon-like' have also been used to describe the young actress.

Unlike her skinny and small frame and doll-like appearance, Seo Woo has the power to draw in the audience to her. The energy she showed in every role she has taken on so far has been explosive -- from the ice cream commercial she took on before her name was known, to the unusual and absurd middle school girl she was in film "Crush and Blush", to the soft-hearted yet sturdy sea diver in "Tamra, the Island" and to the lonely girl in "Paju". Her acting, which cannot be justified by words such as 'refreshing' or 'skilled', won her the prize for best new actress (for "Crush and Blush") at various year-end film awards in 2008.

But despite all the praising, Seo Woo stresses that the favorable criticism comes from prejudice. "What I show on screen is just a part of me. Outside that, I'm still a newcomer and an amateur. It'll seem like I'm doing a good job because of the 100 times that I cried, messed up and got scolded, what the viewers see is the one time that I did well. And the end product is a collection of those single times I did well. I see how important the packaging process is when I see the finished film," the actress said as she laughs. That is why Seo Woo, who said she is "realizing more and more the huge power of producing and films themselves," talked about movies that left the strongest impression on her, regardless of their genre.

"Gone with the Wind"
1939 | Victor Flemming
"I watched it on VCR when I was young but it's a film that I really like so I've been watching it again on DVD for the past few years now. It's a really old movie, made before I was even born, but I'm amazed at how it is so refined -- from the imagery to the acting to the art direction. I'm waiting for the remake of it and if a Korean adaption of it were to be made? I'd definitely want to be in it. Scarlett Ohara is such an attractive and beautiful woman that a lot of actresses would want play her character. I know I lack big time in terms of looks but I really want to try acting the part even if it meant I have to rely on make-up. Haha."

A grand-scale film based on Margaret Mitchell's novel "Gone with the Wind" which in detail depicts the changes in lives of southern Americans after the American Civil War. Scarlett Ohara (played by Vivien Leigh), who is faithful to her desires but has a strong will, is considered a character who left one of the strongest impressions in movie history. Running time 222 minutes.

2. "Autumn In New York"
2000 | Joan Chen
"I haven't been to New York yet but I think this film did well in portraying the warm emotions between the characters despite its setting of a city like New York or similarly Seoul which could look quite bleak. And Winona Ryder's cuteness and Richard Gere's unique sentimentality were delivered straight into the film. Like them, I think all actors should have a unique vibe about them. The last scene where they talk about the hat was impressive in particular and I cried throughout watching the whole film because I think it's a romantic story that fits well with Koreans' emotions.

Will (played by Richard Gere) is the owner of a restaurant in New York who is nearing his 50s but does not want to settle down despite having lived as a playboy his whole life. He falls in love with Charlotte (Winona Ryder), in her early 20s, who visits his restaurant one day. However, not being able to change his old ways easily, Charlotte ends up leaving him with a wounded heart. The chemistry between the two characters move the viewer's heart despite the typical plot seen in romantic stories.

3. "The Show Must Go On"
2007 | Han Jae-rim
"Honestly, I usually don't like watching movies relating to family. I come from a family of three daughters but both of my older sisters live overseas so it's hard to seem them together often which has increased my attachment to them. I also cry an embarrassing amount when I watch such films. I went to watch "The Show Must Go On" with my second eldest sister when she was visiting, not knowing what it would be about but I cried so much that I couldn't get up from my seat after the movie had finished. The last scene in particular where Song Kang-ho eats ramen by himself at home really really moved me."

"Number 3" may be the movie that pops into mind when it comes to Song Kang-ho and gangsters but "The Show Must Go On" was unique in the sense that it depicted on the life of a gangster boss not in the top but mid ranks, who is also a middle-aged man with a family to support. In-goo's (played by Song Kang-ho) painstakingly difficult yet undramatic struggle to leave the organization and live a simple life with his family is all the more heartwrenching.

4. "Black"
2005 | Sanjay Leela Bhansali
"I had a deep interest in Indian films and I happened to run across someone who had some knowledge so I found some theaters I could watch this film at. The acting of the lead actors were great and I even felt a certain respect towards the characters that I couldn't help but understand their uncommon form of love. It's a film which has different so-called 'scents' to it."

One day, a teacher named Debraj Sahai (played by Amitabh Bachchan), who calls himself a wizard, approaches Michelle McNally (Rani Mukerji), an eight-year-old girl who cannot see nor hear. Thanks to Sahai's persistent effort and love, Michelle is able to enter college when she grows up but the two face a new obstacle when Sahai develops Alzheimer's disease. The film leaves a new form of impression on viewers as they get to see Helen Keller's autobiography on the big screen and in a Bollywood love story.

5. "Let The Right One In, Lat Den Ratte Komma In"
2008 | Tomas Alfredson
"It's a Swedish film so it wasn't widely known in Korea but it left a very strong impression on me. I was particularly very shocked to see how well the child actors act. I'd been spending most of my time watching the acting of people my age or my instructors but the acting by the child actors was what really expanded my eye for acting."

Oskar (played by Kare Hedebrant), a boy being bullied at school, becomes friends with Eli (Lina Leandersson) who moves in next door. But one day, people in their village start dying as their bloods disappear. This movie, in which a vampire appears yet cannot be called a vampire film, and rather a story about maturing or love, was popular during its run after opening in Korean in November 2008.

Reporter : Choi Ji-Eun five@10asia.co.kr
Photographer : Lee Jin-hyuk eleven@10asia.co.kr
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr