"Missing Person" (2008)

"Missing Person" : Film overview with analysis by CBCasey

This dark Korean drama explores how people can become both a victim and a perpetrator by following the actions of a Korean real estate agent Won-Yeong and the actions of the people Young has relationships and dealings with. Aside from Yeong's two extramarital affairs Yeong also has dealings with a mentally handicapped man named Gyoo-nam. Yeong's treatment of Gyoo-nam is physically abusive, but more symbolically characterized like that of a dog to it's master. The first scene of the film opens with Gyoo-nam meeting Yeong in a boiler room. In this scene Yeong puts a dog leash on Gyoo-nam and beats him while referring to him as "bitch" and referring to himself as "master" or "daddy" creating himself in the image of dominance using Gyoo-nam as the image of sub ordinance. In later scenes Yeong meets Gyoo-nam in the boiler room and beats Gyoo-nam. In each of these instances Gyoo-nam represents other people in effigy that Yeong hates. Gyoo-nam effigies a potential buyer that backed out of buying a home by wearing a red scarf similar to that of the potential buyer. Gyoo-nam also effigies an elderly homeless man by laying on the floor clutching a cane while Yeong beats him. Yeong is physically abusive to Gyoo-nam but the irony of their arrangement is that Yeong is the only person in the community who does anything for Gyoo-nam who appreciates the attention and what little money he receives from Yeong because he lives in a community that cares nothing for him. Gyoo-nam is a neglected outcast of the community who is virtually invisible to everyone except for Yeong. Yeong provides Gyoo-nam with the job of putting up flyers for lost dogs and even gives him advice for dealing with the children that harass him while he puts up the posters. Yeong tells Gyoo-nam to put a force in his eyes and to show his teeth to the children to scare them. Again Gyoo-nam is represented as a kind of dog for Yeong. The lost dog posters are yet another ironic element of Gyoo-nam's character because the dogs in the posters are the same dogs that Yeong has instructed Gyoo-nam to kill. The posters that Gyoo-nam put's up are a secret testament of Gyoo-nams role as both a victim and a perpetrator. Aside from the posters for missing dogs Gyoo-nam also places posters for missing persons, whom of which he has also killed. Thus Gyoo-nam is both victim and perpetrator, he is the perpetrator because he is a killer and he is a victim because he is being used by Young to kill dogs.

The film also focuses on Yeong's extramarital affair. Yeong lives in an apartment with his mistress and his relationship with her is primarily sexual. Yeong's mistress In-ae is a selfish and vain woman who cares more about her image than anything else. In-ae has a young daughter who she neglects to care for until the child's cries can be heard coming from the other room. In-ae eventually feeds her child but only reluctantly and with an obvious feeling of resentment for the child. In-ae has a small dog that she cares for more than her own daughter. When Gyoo-nam abducts her dog she frantically searches for the dog and demands Yeong to help her find the dog. In despair over the loss of her dog In-ae puts her daughter up for adoption. Thus In-ae is also playing the dual role of the victim and the perpetrator. In-ae is a perpetrator for neglecting to care for her daughter and she becomes a victim when her dog is abducted by Gyoo-nam, she herself is also killed by Gyoo-nam who stalks her while she is exercising and bludgeons her to death.

Gyoo-nam does not kill In-ae's dog and when Yeong finds out that Gyoo-nam has kept In-ae's dog alive he becomes furious and immediately goes over to Gyoo-nams house, where he kills both of the dogs Gyoo-nam has been keeping and beats Gyoo-nam again. Gyoo-nam is devastated by the killing of his dogs. When Gyoo-nam encounters Yeong again, Yeong is finishing up some business in the office when Gyoo-nam appears before him showing his teeth like a dog. Yeong gives Gyoo-nam a large roll of cash and tells him that he no longer needs to come to his office to get the posters for missing dogs. As Yeong turns around Gyoo-nam strangles him with a dog leash. Thus Yeong also plays a dual role as both perpetrator and victim in a strange cycle of cause and effect. The next day Gyoo-nam is placing posters for another missing person, this time for his latest victim Yeong. As Gyoo-nam completes his rounds the dogs begin barking as it begins to rain, and the rain is washing away the posters of Yeong. The once significant and powerful person in the community has now disappeared and is reduced to just posters washing away in the rain. In the final scene Gyoo-nam is stalking a new victim, another greedy lustful man. Gyoo-nam finds yet another master in this man by harassing him until the man takes an interest in what he can get out of Gyoo-nam thus continuing the cycle of cause and effect.

"Missing Person" is directed Lee Seo and features Choi Moo-seong, Kim Gyoo-nam, Kim Gi-yeon-I and Baek Jin-hee

Source : cbcasey.hubpages.com/... ( English Korean )