After his wife died a long time ago, Ha Chun-sam has been taking care of their children by himself. Nevertheless, he makes a pittance as a coachman hence he is an object of scorn from other people as well as from others in the industry. His first born son Su-eob would want to become a public servant and pass the bar exams to support his dad who he looks up to so much. However, since failing twice already, this time around he is almost sure it will be his last attempt due to low self-confidence. Meanwhile Oh-hee, his younger sister yearns for being out of the tag “daughter of coachman” by dating with rich merchant whose social status means she must conceal her identity and family background.
Chun-sam is carrying huge debts as well as anxiety for his family, but he still tries to make both ends meet even though his health has not been good lately and a lender recently gave him only a few days to repay the cash. The single dad expects that everything will be over soon when he receives some money from the boss’s wife who also agrees on going out with him.
To begin with, Kang Dae-jin in the 1960s opened a narrow view of Korean lower classes at which he offered bitter compassion and empathy. The country’s post-war history was extremely bad and it is what most people wanted to forget completely as they strove forward. However, there are some characters such as Ha Chun-sam that seem to be left over from this era who want to retain such principles while others have progressed. The major character has a similar sense like Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. That is why he wants his children to know about hard work, pride, dignity and values although this may not happen easily. “The Coachman” is both about looking into the past and those who have been forgotten by society in its effort to move ahead
However, it is not wholly true that Chun-sam should be regarded as the protagonist since “A Coachman” covers the destinies of all members of the family. Such characters as Oh-hee, Su-eob and Ok-nyuh (their deaf-mute sister) become a center of attention, which makes Kang’s film try to show a mosaic of various topics including gender roles evolution, generation conflict and also mentioned above attempts to move on and live independently. It seems that Jo Mi-ryeong’s Ok-nyuk is an embodiment of purity between two sides; however, she is treated in a way that reflects how other characters have grown and what makes them want to break free from poverty. The movie features different storylines though some moments feel too sentimental especially towards the end.
In conclusion, “The Coachman” deals with family issues such as poverty. Notably, director Kang Dae-jin depicts a post-WWII Korean society and its institutions in an often very touching manner thus his movie remains one of the most pertinent works for his country’s cinema industry at that time.
For more movies like “A Coachman” visit on solarmovie.
