Lee Chang-dong deeply explores the intertwining nature of love, loss and religious faith, backed by an emotionally intense performance by Jeon Do-yeon.

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The camera pans from the female lead Shin-ae (Jeon Do-yeon), who is self-trimming her locks in front of a small mirror, to a patch of earth where a beam of sunlight is radiating. 

But what comes just before is equally fascinating – Jong (Song Kang-ho in a rare supporting role) holds up the mirror for her as if holding up the funeral photo of a deceased. 

It at once reminds us of a tragic death in the film, and for Shin-ae two tragic deaths, but also reveals how she sees herself in a moment of shared solitude (with potential suitor Jong). 

So, is that beam of sunlight a ray of hope, that a rebirth is not so far away?  Or does life, filled with the spectre of death and suffering, continue to persist as it is? 

Secret Sunshine is a narratively straightforward but thematically complex drama of intense emotions.  It is like any other great movie about grief, despair and faith. 

“God is watching us right now.”

Through the mundaneness of life and the setting of his narrative in a small Korean town called ‘Miryang’ (translated as ‘secret sunshine’), Lee deeply explores the intertwining nature of love, loss and religion as faced by Shin-ae. 

The story is about Shin-ae moving to her late husband’s childhood town with her young son – in many ways this operates like a rite-of-passage film, not so much a coming-of-age work, but a coming-to-terms (with tragedy) piece. 

Jeon’s extraordinary performance sends us deep into her character’s journey to find solace and redemption.  It won her Best Actress at Cannes.

Many have attacked Secret Sunshine for being anti-Christian, especially towards the evangelists.  It also reveals the dark irony of Christianity, which you must see to be sufficiently provoked as it drums up the ideological and emotional clash between the empowerment of Christianity and the very failure of its doctrine as experienced by a grieving woman. 

While we observe Shin-ae in micro-detail, we must also not ignore the bigger spotlight – on Miryang itself, basked in the glow of sunlight in the day (as the film’s luminously bright cinematography suggests), and marked by the curiosity and mystery of its people.  Will Shin-ae ever find peace?  Or is the town a fallacy? 

Grade: A-

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