The Surrogate
Woman is a celebrated Korean classic directed by Im Kwon-taek, one of
Korea’s most prolific and well-known directors. It is a satirical melodrama
that examines the psychological disintegration of a vibrant heroine. Set in the
Josean dynasty, the film highlights how Korean society is highly patriarchal by
focusing on the role of a surrogate woman. Almost all the women in the film, no
matter how high their rank, are shown as subservient to men and excluded from
male-only spaces.
Ok-nyeo is our
sweet, sassy heroine who hails from the satirically named “vulvae village” and
is chosen against her will to be a surrogate for a noble family in need of a
male heir. Every woman in the village is a surrogate woman, and because
occupations are inherited from generation to generation, Ok-nyeo is destined to
be a surrogate woman like her mother. Chosen because of her “pure” virginal
status and her female “physiognomy” which bodes well for giving birth to a son,
Ok-nyeo is sent to the noble family’s house and kept isolated as their dirty
secret. The child she births will not be held or named by her, nor will she
ever see them again after her duty is done. Due to her loneliness and naivety,
she falls in love with the married nobleman Shin whose child she is carrying
and they begin an illicit love affair. If you’re thinking, this cannot
end well, then you’d be right.
There is
predictability in this melodrama, but it is interesting to watch. Director Im
injects a big dose of satirical humour. He peppers the film with ridiculous
rituals that are carried out with straight-faced earnestness: drinking deer
blood for sexual vigour, standing on a hot kettle lid to ease childbirth,
“inhaling” the moon and drinking chili soup with chili stolen from a family
with a newborn son. There is a curious mix of tradition, spirituality and
new-fangled pseudoscience in their beliefs. While both males and females must
suffer through the rituals, no doubt the bulk of it falls to Ok-nyeo, who is
herded around like cattle and given orders.
The restored
version of the film looks beautiful on the big screen; soft-hued and
atmospheric. The excellent set design and costumes immerse the viewer in the
interior of a nobleman’s house and its grounds. The characters move fluidly
like chess pieces across the board, and say just as much with their actions as
with dialogue. Their dialogue is highly performative but their actions hint at
emotional depth. One example is Shin’s wife, who is in the precarious position
of hating Ok-nyeo, and yet is obliged to treat her well because she is carrying
their child.
As Ok-nyeo’s mother
succinctly states, “We're not human. You're not a human just because you look
like one. You're only human when you're treated like one.” The film has
succeeded in portraying the plight of Korean women of all ranks by showing their
systematic dehumanization and the prison of beliefs that keep them there.
- Jacqueline Lee
This film was
viewed as a part of the Asian Restored Classics, presented by the Asian Film Archive. The Asian Film Archive is a registered charity
and interested members of the public can support it here.