Poetry. 2010. South Korea. Written and directed by Lee Chang-dong. With Yun Jeong-hie. 35mm. In Korean; English subtitles. 139 min.
Mija (Yun Jeong-hie) lives with her teenage grandson, Wook, while his single mother works far away. When Mija finds out she is at the onset of Alzheimer’s and starts forgetting words, she decides to fulfill the unlikely dream of writing poetry. Her teacher at the local cultural center remarks, "To write poetry, you must see well. The most important thing in life is seeing." Yet her initial quest to look for beauty in nature is derailed by an urgent incident involving Wook. Reluctantly getting herself involved, Mija sees the ugliness in human nature and the collapse of morality. It is pain, sadly and ironically, that ultimately inspires poetry. This achingly indelible picture won the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival.