Poetry is the first film I’ve watched by director Lee Chang-dong, upon the recommendation of my cinephile friend. Apparently his work is acclaimed both domestically and internationally, so much so that he served as South Korea’s Minister of Culture and Tourism from 2003 to 2004.

Yet this film’s opening left me nonplussed. If someone sees a mysterious object floating in the water, the chances of it not being a dead body is close to nil. I’d expected something more original. Nonetheless it successfully sets the tone for the film, which does turn out to be much better than the clumsy opening.

Like Mother, Poetry deals with mental illness, in this case, Alzheimer’s. This carries the usual risks of falling into melodrama or revisiting territory already well covered by other films. This film however neatly sidesteps the issue by choosing not to focus on it. Instead, it is only one of the many worries besetting the 66-year old grandmother who is the protagonist of the story, including having to raise a rebellious grandson all by herself with her only sources of income being government welfare and a part-time job.

Despite all this, she flits through the film in a seemingly breezy and carefree manner. She enrolls in a poetry class, perhaps in an attempt to stave off the symptoms of forgetting everyday words. There she is taught to truly observe the world and take copious notes. She does this even in completely inappropriate circumstances such as when she is called to a meeting of parents to discuss how their sons’ rape of a schoolmate caused her suicide.

“She’s totally out of it,” they comment dismissively. Indeed, her mental aptitude and problem-solving ability seems completely outmatched in the face of the many challenges she faces. Yet at the end, the film reveals that, following the advice of her poetry teacher, she turns out to be the sanest, most observant and most compassionate of all, audience included. Sometimes the things that most deserve your attention aren’t the problems that are staring you in the face.

This film is an impressive triumph for both its director and its leading actress, Yoon Jeong-hee. She is apparently a veteran actress who came out of retirement just for this film. Not only is this a demanding role but it must have taken a great deal of courage to make this film.

That said, there are missteps. The opening that I described is one, another is the story behind the grandson’s mother. I couldn’t shake the impression that there are some deep mystery there especially since the grandmother would always refuse to answer when asked why she isn’t taking care of her own son. But that plot hook simply didn’t lead to anywhere.

Overall, the subtlety and fine acting here more than makes up for these problems. One reviewer said that this film packs a “quietly devastating” emotional punch which I found to be extremely apt. Highly recommended.