| Take Care of My Cat | |
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Theatrical poster |
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| Hangul | 고양이를 부탁해 |
| RR | Goyangireul Butakhae |
| MR | Koyangirŭl Put‘akhae |
| Directed by | Jeong Jae-eun |
| Written by | Jeong Jae-eun |
| Starring | Bae Doona Lee Yo-won Ok Ji-young |
| Release date(s) | October 13, 2001 |
| Running time | 112 min. |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
Take Care of My Cat (고양이를 부탁해 Goyangireul Butakhae) is a 2001 South Korean coming of age film. The movie chronicles the lives of a group of friends — five young women — a year after they graduate from high school, showing the heartbreaking changes and inspiring difficulties they face in both their friendships and the working world.
Though critically acclaimed in its native South Korea, the film's box office returns were not so great, prompting a 'Save the Cat' movement involving film-industry professionals to try to increase viewership before its theatrical run would be cut short. The film went on to many international film festivals as well, where it received awards and special mentions.
The film is the debut work of director Jeong Jae-eun, who would later go on to direct the 2005 film The Aggressives.
The narrative of the 3 characters (when you consider the twins to be minor to the story) relates some important themes of modernity and how it is localized to the city of Incheon.
Main Characters (Actress):
Tae-Hee Yoo (Doo-na Bae)
Hae-joo Shin (Yo-won Lee)
Ji-young Seo (Ji-young Ok)
Bi-ryu (Eun-shil Lee) & Ohn-jo (Eun-jo Lee)
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Director
Jeong Jae-eun
Date of Birth March 26th 1969
Birth Place Seoul, South Korea
Education Korean National University of Arts
Debut In 2001, Take Care of My Cat
Also known for short films: Yu-jin’s Secret Codes (1999), Short Girl’s Night Out (1999), After School, Coming of Age Ceremony
Awards
Chlotrudis Awards
2004 nominated for Best Cast
Cinema Jove Valencia International Film Festival
2002 won award Golden Moon of Valencia
Hong Kong International Film Festival
2002 won award FIPRESCI Prize - Special Mention
Paris Film Festival
2002 nominated for award Grand Prix
Pusan International Film Festival
2001 won award Netpac Award and New Currents Award
Rotterdam International Film Festival
2002 won award KNF Award and nominated for Tiger Award
Motifs in the movie
Beggars: Beggars are similar to nomads who wander freely and aimlessly. Since they have nowhere to go, they are constantly moving. Nomads are people who possess nothing permanent and are able to leave as they please. Symbolize the characters’ constant movements despite the changes in their relationship, they continue to walk or venture forward into divergent paths.
Public transportation: Throughout the movie, viewers witnessed different types of public transportations. The characters migrated from place to place by: subways, planes, and buses. In a sense, one can depict the constant movement of the characters as nomads.
Cellular Phones: Frequently used by the characters and is the only method of communication and connection between the friends. When Ji Young borrows money from Tae Hee, she buys a new mobile phone instead of using it for more practical things. The girls’ lives are governed by the consumer society.
Modernization in Korea: Incheon is becoming more populated by harbors, ports, ships. Seoul on the other hand is developing by the: industry, businesses, and urbanization. Competitive job market Hae Joo cannot advance further in her career because she lacks a university degree. Growing up in Incheon, she attended a vocational high school. Evident in all girls’ cases such as Ji Young who cannot find a decent job.
Dumplings: Dumplings subtly symbolize the once inhabited community of Chinese immigrants in Incheon. The hint of Chinese foreigners populating Incheon is also shown through the twins, Bi Ryu and Ohn Jo who are Korean-born Chinese. But we also see the dumplings are popular amongst the Koreans. Tae Hee’s father craves them and asks her to buy some and Ji Young’s grandmother offers Tae Hee a plate of dumplings.
Text Messages: Text messages were portrayed as visual images to show words as ‘abstract’ images. Depicts further popularity and obsession with the usage of mobile phones. Imagined text messages communicated between two people to be similar as floating images in the air. These floating images would fill up the impersonal spaces among the characters.
Railroad Tracks: An endless ongoing movement, a constant road. Represents a wandering traveler with an aimless destination. Moving forward, but no place to go. Railroad tracks are often shown whenever Ji Young is walking back to her shanty home. It hints her desire to start a new life and travel outward to pursue her dream as a textile designer.
Symbolisms
Cat The cat, Tee Tee, is found by Ji Young and takes care of it. The cat links the girls’ divergent lives. Each character is given a specific time to tend the cat. Symbolizes vulnerability and resilience for all five women. Cats symbolize flexibility, independence, complexity, and have the tendency to leave their owners if not happy. Cats are known to wander and venture. The twins are the last ones to be left with the cat because similarly to the cat, the twins are independent and their inseparable ties with each other will provide stability and love for the cat. Intertwines the girls’ friendship and sisterhood.
Incheon: Harbor and Ports Incheon is located on the outskirts of Seoul. The characters are also outsiders of the city, industrial life in Seoul. An old open port with many immigrants. There are more foreigners than native settlers. Many immigrants moved to Incheon during the war or the 70s during the growing industrialization. Director described Incheon as a place with “less regional color”. Diverse with immigrants of different cultures.
The Girls Represent the lifestyle of young and females in contemporary Korea. Reveals how each woman interact and cope with the industrial life of South Korea. All characters wander as ‘nomads’ onto divergent paths. Each character longs to be ‘free’ from the binds of society to thrive and succeed. Hae Joo: cosmopolitan nomad. Bi-ryu and Ohn Jo: still objects with no meaning at home. Tae-Hee: has a home, but her heart is not there and longs to travel as a ‘nomad’. Ji Young: under the pressure of home, but becomes free, yet has no place to go and is a ‘nomad’.