Sunday, May 5, 4:00 p.m. & Monday, May 13, 6:30 p.m. | Elderly Mija works as a caregiver and looks after her insolent teenage grandson, Wook. When she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease, Mija is compelled to enroll in a local poetry class, only to be mired in a shocking crime involving Wook shortly after. Simultaneously tender and brutal, POETRY is an extraordinary vision of both human empathy and savagery which won the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Content consideration: contains themes of sexual assault.

Awards & Nominations

Winner - Best Screenplay, Cannes Film Festival
Nominee - Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival
Winner - Best Director, Best Screenwriter, Asian Film Awards
Winner, Best Achievement in Directing, Best Performance by an Actress (Yun Jeong-hie), Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Winner - Best Film, Best Director, Korean Association of Film Critics Awards

Lee Chang-dong: Redemption and Revelations: One of South Korea’s most celebrated contemporary auteurs, Lee Chang-dong’s relatively short but extraordinary filmography is reflective of his background as an acclaimed writer and influenced by his criticism of South Korea's cultural and political climates. Novelistic and character driven, his six feature films explore themes of trauma and anger, with individuals pushed to their breaking point by repressive systems, structures, and situations. View full series.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu