Oberon's Grove: Never Forever

Gina Kim's 2008 film NEVER FOREVER resonated deeply with me on many levels. An unusual and somewhat improbable story, it translates beautifully onto the screen thanks to a very believable trio of leading actors, atmospheric cinematography and an emotional musical score.

Vera Farmiga plays Sophie Lee, a rather fragile-looking American blonde with poignant blue eyes who is happily married to Andrew, a successful Korean businessman based in New York City. The only thing missing in their marriage is a child. Despite many attempts to conceive, it has turned out that Andrew is unable to father a child - or so it seems anyway.

David McInnis (Andrew) is desolate over his inability to have a child with Sophie. As they observe the children of their friends and relatives, the couple become increasingly despondent and Andrew attempts to take his own life. Realizing that only by producing a child can her marriage (and her husband's life) be sustained, Sophie pursues a course of action that seems both brave and foolish.

Jung-Woo Ha portrays Jihah, an illegal Korean immigrant working two jobs and trying to scrape enough money together to bring his girlfriend to the USA. He is at a fertility clinic attempting to donate sperm to raise some cash, but his illegal status disqualifies him. Sophie, waiting for yet another consultation, observes the Korean man's situation and sees in him a possible solution to her own problem.

Following him, she makes an unusual business proposition: she will pay him $300 a shot for sexual encounters on a regular basis and $30,000 in cash if she gets pregnant. Desperate for the money, he agrees. Their first liaisons are silent and detached; they do their thing without speaking and without emotion. But of course as time goes by the inevitable closeness develops.

The unsuspecting husband tries to assure Sophie that it will be alright if they do not have a child; he is resigned to the reality of it. But in a startling revelation, she tells him that she had become pregnant by him prior to their marriage and had aborted the child. It's unclear whether this is true or whether she simply tells him this so that he will not suspect anything if and when she actually does conceive. The game continues for while and then Sophie discovers she is pregnant and comes to pay Jihah the promised fee. What should mark the end of their arrangement instead sets off a series of incidents which lead to the film's climax.

Ms. Farmiga's quiet intensity and the surprising power of her passion as the emotional focus of the film shifts make her portrayal truly impressive. Mr. McInnis is handsome and brooding as the husband, with moments of unguarded tenderness. But it is Jung-Woo Ha's performance that gives the film its most memorable scenes. Swept into an unlikely situation - getting paid to have sex with a beautiful woman who otherwise wouldn't give him the time of day - the actor makes the harried Jihah so appealing in his discovery of his own romantic depths. His affair with Sophie ends with an unexpected intrusion of reality.

But there is one more scene in the movie, poignant and enigmatic. Is it reality or a dream? We are left to ponder.

Comments

Philip, I love how you write about the opera and music, and tennis and films, too!, ...and poetry! -- it's so wonderful to get to come here and read all your various and thoughtful reviews and takes on all these things which brighten our lives! :)

I've sought out a lot of your recently showcased films (and am waiting eagerly for COCO CHANEL & IGOR STRAVINSKY !): SILK was very nice (I love Keira Knightley); and I enjoyed THE [other ;)] OTHER BOLEYN GIRL (2003) (w/ both Natascha McElhone and Jodhi May - each one stunning.) This film with Vera Farmiga is one I am not familiar with, but will look for, thanks to you, again! ;) --I did see her in a film (recently watched on DVD) with Kate Beckinsale (another favorite) called NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH - which I thought featured *brilliantly* acted performances by both Ms. Beckinsale and Ms. Farmiga. Both ladies were superb, and I loved the film. It stayed with me for days, the story AND the characters.
Anne

Posted by: Anne Coburn Whitmore | August 22, 2009 at 10:53 AM