[Local Films With English Subtitles]

■ Haryu Insaeng (Low Life) (2004)
Saturday at 12 p.m.
Seoul Selection Bookstore
Veteran director Im Kwon-taek's 99th film is a look back into the past, both the nation's and his own. Telling the story of the legal and illegal doings of gangsters and politicians during the 1950s and '60s, the film is filled with social criticism and palpable nostalgia. While many recent local movies have tried to recreate post-Korean War South Korea, Im combines his own memories with a filmic one derived from the 50-odd movies he made during that period. With elaborate city sets and costumes that could have come straight out of one of Im's action films of that time, "Raging Years" is a entertaining tribute to a bygone cinematic era as well as a critical look at recent Korean history. The film focuses on the experiences of a young thug named Tae-woong (Cho Seung-woo), who rises to power in the crime world and later in the construction business handling government contracts.

Oasis (2002) and Pakha Satang (Peppermint Candy) (2000)
KNTO Building
Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.

Two feature films by renowned director Lee Chang-dong will be screened back to back. "Oasis", which won Lee the best director's prize in Venice two years ago, stars Sul Kyong-ku and Moon So-ri in an unusual romance between a slightly slow outcast and a woman with cerebral palsy. "Peppermint Candy", Lee's second feature, looked at one troubled man's life, beginning from his suicide in the present and going backwards through the 1990s and '80s. The film also stars Sul, with Moon in a smaller role as Sul's first true love. Located near exit 5 of Chonggak Station, subway line 1. Free. Details: (02) 729- 9497/8.

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