MovieChat Forums > Hanyo (2011) Discussion > *SPOILERS AHEAD!!* About the very beginn...

SPOILERS AHEAD!! About the very beginning of this film ...

posted 13 years ago by DogtownGirl
10 replies | jump to latest

Mouse-hover to read what's under the spoiler shield.

Anyone else think that the first scene of the film, wherein a young girl jumps from a building (onto the sidewalk below) was the last Housemaid that rich, wacka family hired (before the title character of the movie)? Interestingly enough, this first scene bookended the penultimate scene of the current housemaid offing herself ... the two suicides. I guess that is how the maids who end up working for the screwy fam, end their employment with it.

The more Ken Loach films I see, the more I think they need English subtitles.

[–] Eric-1226 13 years ago

I hate it when housemaids off themselves. (Because good help is hard to find, ya' know? lol)

"I've always tried to teach you two things. First: Never let them see you bleed. Second: Always have an escape plan." - Q

[–] Killersnakes 13 years ago

But keep in mind Byeong-sik (older housemaid) who says she had been there all her life. She doesn't commit suicide, she walks out. I may be wrong, but I think the suicide at the start was to show two things:

1. The lack of recognition before she leapt - not a single soul noticed her, therefore nobody could help, everyone was busy doing their own thing. Much like Eun-yi when she found out she was pregnant.

2. Recognition only after something as dramatic as a suicide happens - after she jumps to her doom, people notice, her single action caused a reaction; trauma, curiosity, it's something. Fast forward and I believe Eun-yi wanted this. She wanted to make an impression, an action that'll turn this suffocating household inside out.

I think she achieved that. The closing scene, reflects how out of sync the family has become. Borderline mad by the looks of it. Dream sequence? Live sequence? Everyone has a different view, but I seriously do think Eun-yi got her revenge, a psychological one.

I also wrote a little bit about the "dream sequence" if you can call it that in this thread:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1314652/board/nest/166556667?p=2

[–] DogtownGirl 13 years ago

Killersnakes,

Well, I think that the older maid might have felt as though suicide were beneath her and that it was more her due to just "tough it all out", perhaps?
Just a guess ...

The more Ken Loach films I see, the more I think they need English subtitles.

[–] DogtownGirl 13 years ago

@ Eric, hahaha ...

The more Ken Loach films I see, the more I think they need English subtitles.

[–] Killersnakes 13 years ago

Yes you might be right. She did have a son who was recently promoted to prosecutor. She may well have decided to live because of him, and the shiny new high status that comes with that role.

[–] inor86 13 years ago

Could be a former maid, the mother-in-law (I think) refers to some previous incident and says "the men in this family..."

[–] delia19461 13 years ago

I didn't understand the opening scene either, who was that girl who committed suicide and what did it have to do with the rest of the film. I jointed a group of people discussing the film after our showing let out and one man had as good an explanation as anything else. Don't forgot, two of the witnesses to the original suicide was the housemaid and her friend (the older, heavyset woman who was her sister). They had been working at a food place. Anyway, the man I talked to said that they showed her witnessing the aftermath of the other suicide and that's what gave her the idea to end her life.

[–] DogtownGirl 13 years ago

Killer,

YES, that's it, isn't it? The older maid wanted to live for her son and to enjoy his success, I am now thinking. Good point.

The more Ken Loach films I see, the more I think they need English subtitles.

[–] planetalab 13 years ago

I also thought her son was a product of a sexual act with a former man of the house (the husband's father, perhaps?) because in the scene where Mrs. Cho is having tea with the wife's mother she congratulates her then Mrs. Cho replies: "it's all thanks to you" meaning the family perhaps gave him an education, money, etc, to ensure she would keep quiet about it?

[–] DogtownGirl 13 years ago

planetalab,

... because in the scene where Mrs. Cho is having tea with the wife's mother ...

Yeah, that really weird scene wherein the two ladies are sitting outside, in the dead of what looked to be a verrrry cold winter, all bundled up ... What was up with THAT. except to give the viewer half an idea about how odd-ball the members of that family were, perhaps?

The scene, immediately mentioned above, foretold the one at the very end of the film wherein the whole fam was again sitting outside, didn't it?

The more Ken Loach films I see, the more I think they need English subtitles.

*SPOILERS AHEAD!!* About the very beginning of this film ...

SPOILERS AHEAD!! About the very beginning of this film ...