CHIHWASEON (PAINTED FIRE) — *** — Choi Min-Sik, Ahn Sung-Ki, You Ho-Jeong, Kim Yeo-Jin, Son Ye-Jin, Han Myung-Goo, Jung Tae-Woo; in Korean, with English subtitles; not rated, probable R (sex, violence, nudity, vulgarity, profanity); see "Playing at local movie theaters" for complete listing of local theaters.
More often than not, films made about artists or the creation of art have either wound up being rather two-dimensional (most recently "Pollock") or too artsy (most recently "Frida").
"Chihwaseon (Painted Fire)" is one of the few that gets it all right. This Korean drama is a credible portrait of its main character, the revered 19th-century artist Oh Mon Jang Seung-up, and it looks beautiful enough to be a work of art itself.
And though some of its quick skimming of Jang's past seems a tad superficial, it was made necessary because so little is known about his past. Besides, there's only so much that can be said in a two-hour movie.
More than a century later, Oh Mon Jang Seung-up remains something of a legend in his home country, both as an artist and as a man. "Chihwaseon (Painted Fire)" uses extensive flashbacks as it attempts to show his rather humble beginnings (with Jung Tae-Woo playing the younger version of Jang), who is played as an adult by Choi Min-Sik.
Luckily, he finds a kindly benefactor (Kim Yeo-Jin), who first spares him from a beating and then later helps enroll him in a rigorous training program. However, the impudent Jang is bored by the rather rigid, formal lessons and longs to do more personal projects (he's been specializing in nature scenes, as well as more scandalous drawings). Then there's his love of liquor and women, which threatens to do more than threaten his promising career — it also threatens his life.
Veteran Korean director Im Kwon-taek (also one of three credited screenwriters) has to do a certain amount of embellishment. But his version of Jang's life seems credible and compelling, thanks to a fine lead performance by Choi, who does the proper amount of brooding, but whose tantrums are never over the top.
Still, the real star may be cinematographer Jung Il-sung, who helps the story seem even more vivid (to say that the scenery he captures is breathtaking just doesn't seem to do it justice).
"Chihwaseon (Painted Fire)" is not rated but would probably receive an R for scenes of simulated sex and sexual acts, violence (beatings), brief male nudity and nude artwork, and use of some crude sexual slang terms and sexual talk, as well as some strong profanity. Running time: 116 minutes.
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