Memento Mori (여고괴담 두번째 이야기 1999)and Moonlit Winter (윤희에게 2019)
These two movies are famous Korean lesbian movies. Two movies have a 20 years gap. Therefore, two shows how Korean’s idea of lesbians has been changed.
Let’s start with Memento Mori, imagine the 90’s or -if you live in a country where is lesbian is well accepted then imagine- 80’s high school lesbian movie, the Korean version is this one with a little bit of horror. There is a couple, one knows she loves another but another doesn’t know it is love. Because of this gap and other students' lack of understanding, the main issue in the movie. And we can easily think this will be heading in a depressing way.
In the Moonlit winter, a couple also has difficulty. This time they(Yun-hi윤희 and June준) both love each other and know it. But the family thinks of lesbians as a disease. So they eventually separated from each other.
About 20 years later, the daughter of Yun-hi read a love letter that was sent by the aunt of June. And the daughter plans to make them meet again. The couple who broke up because of a disagreement with another family member got a chance to meet again with a new family member. wow
My favorite scene of this movie is when two new families, Se-bom새봄- the daughter of Yun-hi- and Masako마사코- the aunt of June-, talk in English which is not their native language. -Se-bom’s native language is Korean and Masako’s Japanese.- They have a common goal “ the reunion of two ” and it is from kindness. We can see Yun-hi and June didn’t forget the past. Two, one from the young generation and one from the older generation tiring to fix an old mistake made by other family members show how Korean’s ideas have changed.
Like me, most people saw Memento Mori and Moonlit winter in order. Even if two couples are not the same person I can't stop hoping that a couple from Memento Mori will end up like a couple in Moonlit winter. In the country where lesbian is now starting to admit or to most of the elder it is starting to exist. Moonlit Winter is the best scenario for a couple from 20 years. As the name of the daughter of Yun-hi, Se-bom in Korean is new spring, I wish lesbians a good new start like spring.
So if you want to know how the idea of lesbians in South Korea has changed these are the two movies you have to watch.