Cinema
The Surrogate Woman
씨받이
Im Kwon-taek · 1987
Synopsis
Under Joseon, Shin Sang-gyu, the last male heir of his branch of the clan, has no child by his young and beautiful wife. His uncle and grandmother decide to seek a surrogate mother in a village known for supplying such borrowed wombs. They choose Ok-nyeo, a poor seventeen-year-old girl with a lively character. Installed in the house, kept apart and subject to rules that set her meetings with Sang-gyu, she soon becomes attached to him, and the wife's jealousy is awakened.
Context
Written by Song Gil-han, photographed by Ku Jung-mo and produced by Jeong Do-hwan, the film was released on 21 March 1987 and was at first a failure in cinemas. Kang Soo-yeon received the best actress award at Venice in 1987 for the role of Ok-nyeo, which made her, according to the London Korean Film Festival, the country's first international star. The Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes showed it in competition the same year, under the title La Mère porteuse, and has screened it again since. It was a great success in Taiwan in 1988.
Who it is for
A historical drama of about a hundred minutes, on the condition of women and the obsession with lineage under Joseon.
Prizes and reception
Volpi Cup for best actress at the Venice Film Festival for Kang Soo-yeon; best film at the Asian festival the same year.
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