Old Partner Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Old Partner Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 8, 2010

Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and winner of the Best Documentary Award at the Pusan International Film Festival, Lee Chung-ryoul's "Wonangsori" a.k.a "Old Partner" (2008) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Panorama. Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features on the disc. In Korean, with optional English and Traditional Chinese subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

At the end of the road

The central characters in Lee Chung-ryoul's Old Partner are a farmer, Choi (Choi Won-gyoon), his wife, Yi (Lee Sam-sun), and an ox the couple has owned for well over 30 years. Time has not been kind to any of them – Choi has terrible migraines and cannot walk without a cane because one of his legs is largely paralyzed and seriously atrophied, Yi suffers from back pain, while the ox simply cannot move as it once did. Nevertheless, each day all three of them work hard, ignoring their aches and pains, because work is the only thing that makes them feel alive.

But it is a miserable existence, which is why Yi daily reminds Choi that years ago she married the wrong man. At times she jokes about her decision, other times she seems serious. Clearly, this isn’t the life she dreamed about when she was a young girl. It is the truth, and at times the truth can hurt bad, really bad.

The old ox is also hurting. The animal is sick and is barely able to perform its duties. After a quick exam, the local vet announces that the ox likely has less than a year left to live. Yi urges her husband to sell it, but he remains adamant about keeping it. The ox has taken care of Choi and his family for years, it is now time that Choi takes care of the ox.

But the ox gets sicker, and Choi finally agrees to sell it. Yet he sets the price so high that at the local market fellow farmers poke fun at him and his old partner. In one of the film’s most memorable scenes we see a giant teardrop falling from the ox’s eye. The end is near, and the animal feels it.

Choi and his old partner return to his farm. The ox immediately collapses and so does Choi, both hurting more than ever before. Choi is examined by a local doctor who warns him that if he does not stop working he will drop dead.

Eventually, the ox gets so sick that it cannot even get out of the run down shack where it has spent most of his life. Choi and Yi bring food and talk to him daily – and it seems like the animal understands every single word they utter. Then the ox dies, and Choi and Yi burry it not too far from the rice fields the three have worked on for years.

Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize (World Cinema – Documentary) at the Sundance Film Festival and winner of the Best Documentary Award at the Pusan International Film Festival, Old Partner is a simple, unsentimental, beautifully photographed film about an extraordinary relationship. Its message is a familiar one but delivered in a manner that truly touches the heart in a special way.

While following the relationship between Choi, Yi, and their ox, Old Partner also offers a glimpse at a part of Korea which nowadays seems largely ignored by local filmmakers. In fact, in a way Old Partner feels like an odd tribute of sorts to a way of life, and a culture, which have been dramatically affected by globalization. Director Chung-ryoul does not point a finger at the Korean government for abandoning an entire generation of Koreans who obviously have not been able to adjust well to the country’s new market environment, but it is easy to sense that he isn’t pleased with Korea’s rapid economic development.

Note: In 2008, Old Partner set an unprecedented box office record in Korea and became the highest grossing independent film in Korean history.

Old Partner Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080i transfer, Lee Chung-Ryoul's Old Partner arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Panorama.

Shot with a digital camera, Old Partner looks quite good. Aside from the nighttime footage where light is occasionally limited, fine object detail and clarity are very pleasing; contrast levels are also good. The daylight footage is wonderful - sharpness is very good and colors lush and natural. Mild motion-judder is occasionally visible but it is never distracting. Lastly, there are no purely transfer-related anomalies to report in this review. To sum it all up, this is a good presentation of an outstanding documentary film. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Old Partner Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Korean LPCM 2.0. For the record, Panorama have provided optional English and Traditional Chinese subtitles for the main feature.

Old Partner is primarily a dialog-driven feature, and the Korean LPCM 2.0 track serves it well. Naturally, its dynamic amplitude is limited, but the dialog is pleasingly crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. While watching Old Partner, I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or dropouts to report in this review.

Old Partner Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray disc.

Old Partner Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The highest grossing independent film in Korean history, Lee Chung-ryoul's Old Partner tells a fascinating story about an extraordinary friendship. The film is yet to be released in the United States, but Hong Kong-based distributors Panorama's Blu-ray disc is Region-Free and English-friendly. I loved Old Partner because it made me think about a lot we take for granted while we are young and healthy. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.