Screen/Society--Cine-East: Transnational North Korea--"A Schoolgirl's Diary"

Film Screening: "A Schoolgirl's Diary" (In Hak Jang, 2007, 94 min, North Korea, Korean with English subtitles, color, DVD) -- A selfish North Korean teen learns to respect her parents for the sacrifices they have made in director Jang In-hak's family-themed comedy drama. Su-ryeon (Pak Mi-hyang) is embarrassed by her simpleton family and longs to experience the thrill of the city. While her father San-myeong (Kim Cheol) conducts research for a nearby institute and mother Jeong Ran (Kim Yeong-suk) divides her time between working as a science academy librarian and translating documents for her busy husband, Su-ryeon's athletic sister Su-ok (Kim Jin-mi) is quickly establishing herself as a star on the soccer field. After devoting an inordinate amount of time wrestling with such inconsequential issues, Su-ryeon soon learns just how self-centered she has become when her mother falls ill and her father makes an important breakthrough.