As mentioned over and over in other installments of our girl power series, women empowerment songs in K-pop are rare, though they do exist. And as feminism (or a pop-packaged version of it) becomes more prevalent and “trendy,” we’re seeing more and more songs that put women in the forefront that don’t only revolve around […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Untitled-design-14.png7681024Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelumhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngAlexis Hodoyan-Gastelum2016-10-15 13:03:422016-10-15 13:03:428 K-pop girl power anthems pt. 7
When Yang Ju Nam’s Sweet Dream was found in a Chinese cinema in 2006, it was thought to be the oldest surviving Korean film. This title was eventually taken by Cheongchun’s Sipjaro, a silent film released two years prior to 1936’s Sweet Dream. Sweet Dream does however, remain the oldest sound film in Korea that […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/maxresdefault-3.jpg10801920Joe Palmerhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngJoe Palmer2016-10-14 05:29:452016-10-14 05:29:45Reviewing the Korean Film Archive: Sweet Dream
As mentioned over and over in other installments of our girl power series, women empowerment songs in K-pop are rare, though they do exist. And as feminism (or a pop-packaged version of it) becomes more prevalent and “trendy,” we’re seeing more and more songs that put women in the forefront that don’t only revolve around […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Untitled-design-14.png7681024Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelumhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngAlexis Hodoyan-Gastelum2016-10-15 13:03:422016-10-15 13:03:428 K-pop girl power anthems pt. 7
When Yang Ju Nam’s Sweet Dream was found in a Chinese cinema in 2006, it was thought to be the oldest surviving Korean film. This title was eventually taken by Cheongchun’s Sipjaro, a silent film released two years prior to 1936’s Sweet Dream. Sweet Dream does however, remain the oldest sound film in Korea that […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/maxresdefault-3.jpg10801920Joe Palmerhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngJoe Palmer2016-10-14 05:29:452016-10-14 05:29:45Reviewing the Korean Film Archive: Sweet Dream
As mentioned over and over in other installments of our girl power series, women empowerment songs in K-pop are rare, though they do exist. And as feminism (or a pop-packaged version of it) becomes more prevalent and “trendy,” we’re seeing more and more songs that put women in the forefront that don’t only revolve around boys or putting other women down to elevate themselves. For this new list, the anthems are all about elevating, loving, and catering oneself.
1. “Lazy Girl” by Girls’ Generation
To kick off this list, let’s start with a song relatable af: Girls’ Generation’s “Lazy Girl.” The song isn’t that deep and declares at onset, “I’m a lazy girl.” It’s crazy to think that the equivalence of grace and lady-like in K-pop is singing about not giving a damn about anything and just lounging all day. This goes to show that even the most empowered girls need time to themselves to just chill.
2. “Ms. Independent” by After School
But when it comes to returning to your #BOSS self, let After School’s “Ms. Independent” be your jam and parade your confidence around. “Liberty, just grasp it,” Jooyeon, Lizzy, and Kahi strongly declare. From economic freedom to the liberty to choose over your own body, the statement could mean lots of things women everywhere fight for each day. Preach, After School!
Girl power is not a destination, it’s a journey. And with Fiestar’s “We Don’t Stop” we have the perfect road trip soundtrack. With encouraging lyrics, like “Enjoy your awesome self,” and reminding us that we’re all pretty with or without makeup, the song definitely delivers on the encouragement front.
4. “Girl Crush” by Mamamoo
Despite Mamamoo’s “Girl Crush” not being about having a crush on another girl, it’s a proclamation about having enough confidence to consider yourself girl crush material for others. And while, at the surface, it may seem conceited, it’s actually a bold statement of knowing just how much you’re worth — even if it’s just based on looks. Just saying “I love myself” is a revolutionary statement in itself in a world meant to keep women down, whether it’s by their looks or intelligence. It’s not shallow–it’s girl power.
5. “Dream Girls” by I.O.I
Echoing the sentiment, in “Dream Girls” I.O.I sing about liking yourself as you are and believing in yourself, even if no one else does. There’s nothing wrong with being your own biggest fan; if you don’t like yourself, why would others? I.O.I may be a project group, but this self-confidence boosting song has a message to last for ages.
6. “Girls on Top” by Boa
BoA is a staple on our girl power series. With such a long career and being as accomplished as she is, it’s no surprise she spreads the empowerment gospel. This time, we’re throwing it back with “Girls on Top.” The song’s pretty self explanatory: “Don’t you tell me what to, gonna make my decisions on my own.” Alright! BoA is such a role model to her fans and even other idols; it’s awesome she uses her concepts to spread empowerment.
But girl power is not always sunshine and rainbows; it often comes from a dark place. In “Doin’ Good,” KittiB sheds light on her emotionally abusive relationship and how she’s healing from it. The rapper candidly recounts specific examples of how her former flame used to put her down. Whether the song is her way of coming to terms with the relationship or just her way of calling her ex out, it takes guts to rap about something that personal, and it’s totally badass.
8. “Fly” by Jessica Jung
To close this installment, we have to go back to the cheesiness. We all know what Jessica Jung’s “Fly” is really about… But if we take it as it, it’s a pretty strong song. It’s all about finding yourself, following your dreams, and to keep it positive. The most telling part comes from featured Fabolous, who seems to have gotten the tea on the Jessica x SM Entertainment debacle. So if Jessica can survive being dropped from the biggest K-pop girl group, we all got this too.
What’s your fave K-pop girl power song? Share your picks and thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Untitled-design-14.png7681024Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelumhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngAlexis Hodoyan-Gastelum2016-10-15 13:03:422016-10-15 13:03:428 K-pop girl power anthems pt. 7
When Yang Ju Nam’s Sweet Dream was found in a Chinese cinema in 2006, it was thought to be the oldest surviving Korean film. This title was eventually taken by Cheongchun’s Sipjaro, a silent film released two years prior to 1936’s Sweet Dream. Sweet Dream does however, remain the oldest sound film in Korea that still exists in some format. It is special for this reason, as it represents a period of Korean cinema that is almost completely unknown to us today. The Korean Film Archive believes that between 1910 and 1940 approximately 140 films were produced, of which only five are available. Sweet Dream is then imperative for those of us who are trying to come to some understanding of Korean film history. It offers a snippet of what life might have been like under Japanese rule and technically shows us that film language still had a long way to come.
Director Yang Ju Nam worked for Kyeong Sung Studio, an apparently prolific studio of the time. He worked as an editor and assistant director before making his directorial debut with Sweet Dream. After his debut however, he would go straight back to editing and wouldn’t direct again for another twenty years when he made Exorcism of Bae Baeng Yi in 1957.
Sweet Dream is about a woman called Ae Soon, a housewife who neglects her familial duties and is punished for it. It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of modernity and has a predictably regressive view of women. As soon as Ae Soon leaves her family nothing goes right for her, she embraces a bourgeois lifestyle of hotels and modern dance. Lessons are imparted onto her more like public service announcements than a traditional narrative film. It even goes as far as having a scene in a classroom where the lesson is about the importance of family and the dangers of the road. Views like this are to be expected from the 1930s but given Korea was under strict censorship from outside forces more hands are at play for a film like this to exist.
Korean culture under Japanese rule was heavily stunted. People were being forced to change their name to Japanese, modernity was being thrust upon them, and there were few ways to fight back. Cinema was not one of them, with most films being produced in Korea apparently being documentaries and adaptations of traditional stories. They, of course, would all have been subject to strict regulation which makes Sweet Dream an interesting case. It specifically warns of modernity while Japan wanted to push it on the Korean people. It’s view of women was one sided in the same year that Kenji Mizoguchi released Osaka Elegy, a biting critique of the oppression Japanese women face, to critical and commercial success in Japan.
In its traditional view on families then, Sweet Dream is somewhat of an affront to Japanese rule. The fear of modernity could be seen as Yang’s disapproval of his colonists. One step back to take two forward. Of course, Japanese traditional values wouldn’t have been too far from Korean ones at the time, making the strong familial themes at play would have seemed agreeable to Japanese censors. Or maybe the censors were too busy cutting out violence and whole unknown segments to notice.
The film language, however, is mostly inspired by Japanese cinema. Koreans were seeing some western films like the work of D.W Griffith but the form of Sweet Dream shows traces of Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu. Very much traces though, as the film plays like a 50 minute condensed Ozu film, leaving no room for emotions to be slowly teased out. Here the melodrama is front and centre. In the very first scene, Ae Soon and her husband have a fight with anger seemingly coming from nowhere. It is shot with a plainness that recalls Ozu without the meticulous framing. Instead of being down on the ground with our characters the camera is positioned above looking down on them. Straight away we start judging them and their positions, something the film does with no mercy.
While mostly disappointing, the filmmaking is also where we find the brightest moments of this film. Yang particularly puts effort into his edits, no surprise given his background as an editor. In some scene transitions he uses match cuts to great effect. They transition with the laughter of a man or from two people drinking beer to another scene of a man drinking beer. It shows thought has gone into the form in some cases at least, as it’s absent almost everywhere else. Even the edits are weak in many cases with some shots going on too long or cutting to a scene that has no relevance to the story.
Sweet Dream is a confusing contradiction. Through incoherent character choices and messy filmmaking it puts forward regressive beliefs in the interest of possible subversity. Even if it can be seen as an attack on Japanese rule, the real losers here were Korean women. The importance stressed on family still hurts them to this day. As a piece of history it gives us glimpses into a growing Seoul yet portrays its people as one note. Culturally, it shows us how Korea would begin to love the melodrama. In the following years melodramas would be the most influential films, popular because they contained a multitude of emotions that were suppressed in Korean culture. The next time you watch one of your favourite dramas while emotions are flooding out of the screen, think of Sweet Dream and remember the role that history plays in everything.
Have you seen Sweet Dream if so what do you think? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/maxresdefault-3.jpg10801920Joe Palmerhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngJoe Palmer2016-10-14 05:29:452016-10-14 05:29:45Reviewing the Korean Film Archive: Sweet Dream
