Community of PartingCommunity of Parting

The film begins with the folk tale of Princess Bari, as well as the shamanic ritual of Go Soon-an, a survivor of the Third of April massacre. From beyond the outskirts of the region a voice and gaze can be heard. As an adaptation of the folktale in part, the film captures diverse and multi-layered angles of female others in a unique way. Princess Bari’s real name is not “Bari.” Rather, her namesake is derived from not being born a son, thus rendering the princess abandoned and nameless. While in history the story has been passed down as a narrative of filial piety, the film pays homage to countless nameless women scattered worldwide, raising their status as ‘subjective marginal people’. Bari is not only a representative of those in the margins, but also a mediator between worlds, a role that harkens back to the origin of Korean shamans. Bari also represents our own selves as well. The film adopts a poetic testimony from as well as an examining gaze into Bari’s tale and those whom Bari embodies. Here the audience simultaneously experiences both an alienation from and identification with Bari in a rather peculiar way. In fact, the film’s title, Community of Parting encapsulates the paradoxical sentiments of the film itself. (LEE Seungmin)