South Korean director Lee Chang-dong follows his well- received “Secret Sunshine” — the story of a mother’s anguish over the murder of her young son — with “Poetry.”
Once again, a woman is torn apart by tragedy. She’s Mija, a 66-year-old given to flowery dresses and fashionable hats, who’s shocked to discover that the sullen grandson who lives with her and some of his male classmates are guilty of an unspeakable crime against a schoolgirl, which drove her to suicide.
Mija hears the sordid news from the fathers of her grandson’s middle-school collaborators, who hope to pay off the dead girl’s mother and keep the boys’ offense hush-hush.
Just before she finds that out, Mija, who supports herself by caring for an elderly gentleman who wants to have sex with her, receives a medical report that she may be in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Overcome by bad news, she seeks solace by joining a poetry class.
Just as Lee coaxed an inspired performance from the star of “Secret Sunshine” (“The Housemaid” leading lady Jeon Do- yeon), he gets magic from Yun Jung-hee, who ended 16 years of retirement to take on the challenging role of Mija.
In a heart-tugging scene, Mija confronts the schoolgirl’s mother, engaging in polite small talk but never divulging who she really is.
“Poetry,” which rightfully won the best-screenplay prize at Cannes, never resorts to exploitation. Under Lee’s guidence, it is a mature film for mature audiences.