Freedom, one step at a time

If life was a dance, what would it look like? More specifically, how would the life of a modern Korean woman translate into a dance? In "Madame Freedom", the character of "Madame Freedom" is a persona that can be developped in every woman, like Ms. Oh. Elements of Americanization are displayed in the characters' clothing, their way of speaking, and most importantly, in their entertainment. They gather in the Hall at night, drinking beer, smoking, and of course, dancing!  

Ms. Oh's first steps were led by the charming neighbor. Their relationship seemed harmless, yet dangerous. The neighbour's attention to Ms. Oh contasts with her husband's attitude towards her. It shows that the roles in a family context overcomes their roles as partners in a relationship, which I think is why women (and men) in the movie never dance with their spouses at parties.

    

Ms. Oh's first steps with the neighbor as an equal dance partner reveals to her, and women in the general public, that women are on the same level as men. Their roles and responsibilities as partners is shared and equally important. Compared to the first scene, when Ms. Oh asks his husband to share their duties, I would think Ms. Oh would rather continue dancing.

    

As she learns a few more steps, there appears another type of woman. It is the expressive female dancer at the Hall. She dances alone, with the band in the back, facing the audience, with the camera focusing on her every movements. She moves as freely as she can, without constraint and without fear. Her boldness in her movements amazed everyone, including myself. But the fact that it was only a performance and not "real", it was as if we can only rely on it as an ideal. And maybe that was the idea behind the whole scene? I would think it as an important scene, considering that we were watching the whole performance without interruptions. And it would seem like this scene was defining the modern woman "in its attempt to confront modernity" (Kim ,194) because it's represented as an art form and not (yet?) reality.

The idea has been planted like a seed, in the minds of women like Ms. Oh. It is definitely desirable, but there has to be a price, which she pays at the end of the movie. Her appearance as an irresponsible mother, an unaccomplished wife, and an immoral human being pulls her back to the reality of her society. It is very unlikely that she will pursue this idea again, but for future generations, like Myeong-suk, how will it transcend and what will be the result?