[Gyeonggi Ilbo] 2007's "Sophie's Choice" ... Gina Kim’s Never Forever
Published June 12, 2007 - Source
The film Never Forever feels unfamiliar in many ways. A white woman and a Korean man take center stage in a melodrama; the story involves not a surrogate mother but a “surrogate father”; and the mindset of a blue-eyed, blonde-haired woman—not even an Asian—feels old-fashioned.
Unfamiliar scenery, familiar feelings
Even more striking is the fact that Vera Farmiga, who captured the affections of both Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning The Departed, stars as the female lead in a U.S. indie film co-produced by Korea. But what’s curious is how these unfamiliar landscapes evoke familiar emotions. In the end, is love a fundamental feeling that transcends race, class, and place?
The film follows “Sophie’s Choice.” Sophie (Vera Farmiga), who married her first love, Andrew (David McInnis), a successful Korean-American lawyer, begins to feel her perfect marriage falter. Believing the issue lies in their childlessness, she turns to artificial insemination, but Andrew’s unhealthy sperm renders the effort futile.
The temptation of $300, and the love that began
Sophie asks to use donor sperm, but the doctor tells her it’s illegal. Just as she’s desperate enough to grasp at straws, a man who looks strikingly similar to her husband appears. The man is Jihah (Ha Jung-woo), an undocumented Korean immigrant. To bring his girlfriend from Korea, he takes on every odd job he can—at a butcher shop, a laundromat, delivering packages, selling watches. That day, he was hoping to make money by donating sperm when Sophie spots him. “The $300 temptation.” Rejected from the clinic for being undocumented, Jihah is offered a deal by Sophie: $300 per attempt, and $30,000 if she gets pregnant. She begins this secret arrangement to preserve her first love. He does it to live with his.
The desire for communication, the escape route: Love.
Ironically, at the moment Sophie struggles to protect her first love, a “second love” arrives. Is it just the passion born from physical union? The film presents two main reasons behind their love. One is the desire for communication. Sophie, a white woman from mainstream American society, becomes the daughter-in-law of a Korean family and experiences a communication breakdown—symbolized by an incomprehensible Korean-language prayer. Though she doesn't even know how to pray, Sophie’s fertility prayer is delivered in Korean. As for Jihah, who can’t even find a place within mainstream American society, his lack of communication and isolation goes without saying. For these two who yearn to communicate, love becomes the best channel. Director Gina Kim, who has long explored the theme of communication in human society, places it front and center once again in this work.
Sophie's Choice … Love Me
The other reason is Sophie’s self-discovery. Sophie tends to prioritize the feelings of others over her own, and her husband enjoys and benefits from that trait. Though he seems caring, her husband’s one-sidedness is revealed in a scene where, after a funeral, he suddenly lays Sophie down on the dining table. Jiha reminds Sophie that her own emotions matter, and gently teaches her the prayer ritual her husband had only halfheartedly explained. Though their relationship began as a transactional one, Jihah shows warmth and consideration for Sophie’s emotional state. While their mutual desire for communication is visible on the surface, it is Sophie’s self-discovery that underpins the film beneath it. Director Gina Kim, who has explored women’s identity through works like Gina Kim’s Video Diary, brings her feminist perspective clearly into the film’s final scene. Though the setting and Sophie’s present circumstances can be easily inferred, the “husband” is nowhere to be seen. This is not a happiness enjoyed under the protection of another man—it is Sophie’s choice.
Gina Kim’s Lyrical Visual Style Stands Out
The concept of a “surrogate father,” contrasted with the traditional notion of a “seed-bearer,” and set in the heart of New York City, is refreshing—but in some ways, the story itself is predictable. Director Gina Kim herself described it as “a twisted version of a 1950s melodrama.” Yet the story doesn’t feel clichéd or kitschy—rather, it presents the earnest question “Do you believe love lasts forever?” thanks to Kim’s steady and confident direction.
The film’s concise editing, its melancholic visuals with violet-tinged mist, and the piano-based lyrical score gently envelop the viewer’s eyes and ears. Above all, the emotions conveyed directly through the visuals themselves are especially powerful. Co-producer Lee Chang-dong also praised it, saying, “In the hectic, assembly-line atmosphere of American independent filmmaking, it's hard to believe she was able to maintain her own rhythm and produce visuals with such focused intensity.”
Vera & Jung-woo’s Trustworthy Chemistry Shines
Another standout is the nuanced acting of Vera Farmiga and Ha Jung-woo, which draws the audience into the emotional worlds of Sophie and Jihah. It’s not easy to make a story on screen feel like your own, rather than someone else’s. The two actors gave the story strong momentum through their compelling performances. At a Sundance Film Festival event, Vera Farmiga said, “The best actor I’ve worked with so far isn’t Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, or Jude Law—it’s Ha Jung-woo.” Ha Jung-woo returned the compliment: “As an actor, she’s obviously excellent, but what struck me most was how humble and warm she was—unlike most Hollywood stars—and she stayed that way throughout the shoot.”