<The Shower>

Director : Ko Young-nam
Starring : Lee Young-su, Cho Yun-suk, Kim Sin-jae
Location Sites : Yangsan, Yeongdong, North Chungcheong Province

Film Information

Recently re-introduced on EBS' Korean Movie Masterpieces, this movie caught the attention of thirty-somethings who saw the movie in the 1970s and also appealed to the younger generation. According to the director, following the EBS broadcast, countless viewers phoned in to ask about the filming location. Not only is the beauty of nature captured in the scenic views, but the childhood innocence of the main characters and their first love is expressed by "nature itself," as the director says. Close-up scenes of spider webs spun across rice fields, insects, small flowers and twinkling streams are inter-cut between scenic views of the Geum River and frolicking children. The rhythmic editing and fine colors convey an elegance that is hard to find in Korean movies of that period.

Heartbreaking memories of childhood's first love, and enduring the growing pains of a small rural child are shown in this coming-of-age masterpiece. Refined editing, elegant filming and nostalgia are more than enough to captivate the audience in the 21st century.



Synopsis

Seoki meets Yeoni, great-granddaughter of the landowner Mr. Yun, who just transferred from Seoul, by the creek. Yeoni tries to befriend Seoki, who continues to avoid her. However, when Yeoni is out of sight for a few days, Seoki feels lonely. One day, they meet while caught by a rain shower as they are out in the fields. The two escape the rain under a shed and return home safely, but Yeoni comes down with a fever. Recovering from her sickness, Yeoni meets Seoki at the creek and tells him she is moving into town. That day, Seoki picks some walnuts for Yeoni, but he is not able to find her. Seoki hears of Yeoni's death from his father and tries to hold back his tears.

Interview with Director on Filming Location

Q : Where is the exact filming location of <The Shower>?
A : The Shower was filmed at Gagokri, Yeongdong. The school that the children attended was in Songwul-ri and parts were filmed on Mt. Songni. But the majority was filmed in Gagokri around the Geum River. The last scene where the boy is walking is a dam at a nearby reservoir.

Q : How did you find this location?
A : Gagokri is the hometown of the original author, Lee Jinmo. He recommended the place and we decided upon it after taking a look.

Q : The location is very beautiful. And the rhythmic editing using close-ups and distant shots is very impressive. It seems that selecting a location is the most significant factor to create such scenes… Do you put much weight on selecting filming locations for your movies?
A : I really like nature. When I look at nature as the background of my movies, I hear music flowing inside my head. Music is the rhythm and bringing this music to life is the editing. That's why I do the majority of the editing myself. Especially for <The Shower>(Sonagi)… What can the children be compared to? Children are nature itself. So nature is very important in this movie. After selecting Gagokri as the location, we went filming for a week. But the projections were totally different from what I had in mind. I think it was because I wasn't able to fully communicate my thoughts with the cinematographer beforehand. I burned the entire week's worth of film in the backyard of our production company. Then the cinematographer and I discussed shooting scenes using only a 500mm zoom lens. All the scenes in <The Shower> (Sonagi) were shot with that single lens. There is a scene where the girl is lying sick and the boy is sitting alone on a bridge. In order to catch the early morning sunlight, I shot the scene myself. Hunting for locations is always important. There are many related episodes. Mt. Seorak, where we shot The Land of Snow or Nami Island where Subzero Point was shot are also memorable filming locations

Q : What was it that you wanted to represent through <Shower> (Sonagi)?
A : I wanted the viewers to get the feeling, 'I think I went through that experience.' In the scene where the girl dies and the boy is walking alone, I wanted to deliver the thought, 'This is all a dream, everything is in the past, and that is the only way this boy can continue his life.' That's why I instructed Cho Youngsu, playing the role of the boy, to walk very slowly. There aren't any famous actors in this movie. Famous actors have a pre-existing image. This kind of image wouldn't have been able to deliver the touch of this movie.

Location of Shooting

The boy's ordinary, everyday village background becomes the stage for first love with the arrival of a city girl. This is the place that modern man, exhausted from urban life, dreams of. The dichotomy of city and country, reiterated in Korean movies since the 1960s, is aesthetically completed in this movie. There is not a single scene of the city in the movie, and yet, audiences mentally view the countryside in comparison to the city. A place where there is not a trace of labor or life's burdens, a place where the nature of children is expressed externally, the countryside in The Shower is a place of fantasy that urbanites can only dream of. The fact that it is also the stage for one's first love makes it a setting for a journey back in time to our childhood.

General Information

Located at the upstream area of the Geum River, Yangsan is home to one of Korea's oldest songs, Yangsan-ga. Currently, Songho National Resort has been developed and tourist spots, including Yangsan's Eight Famous Spots, are located along the Geum River. A dense forest of pine trees is located in the Songho National Resort and the Songho Youth Town is can accommodate groups of 50 persons or more. Children's playgrounds, walks and bungalows can be found within Pine Tree Forest.

Directions

(1) Gyeongbu Expressway Yeongdong I.C.-No. 19 National Highway No. 68. Haksan National Highway -Songho National Resort
(2) Take the Gyeongbu Expressway to Daejon, exit at the Daejon-Tongyeong Highway, pass Geumsan towards Yeongdong, pass Yangsan Samgeori and enter at Gagok Samgeori.

Nearby Attractions

Yangsan's Eight Famous Spots, Songho National Resort, Mulhan Valley, Weollyubong Peak. In addition to the eight famous spots, Gangseondae, Yongam Rock, and the dense forest of pine trees also presents grand views. Rafting on the Geum River is also available.