In this blog post, we explore why melodramas remain appealing to the public, analyzing their narratives and symbolism through the film ‘You Are My Sunshine.’
An Introduction to Melodrama
Thomas Schatz defined melodrama as “a popular love story in which an innocent individual or couple is victimized by an oppressive and unequal social environment related to marriage, career, and nuclear family issues.” In other words, melodrama can be simply defined as a “sad love story.” Obstacles are always present in the course of romance; these obstacles impose oppression and hardship on those experiencing love, and they strive to overcome them. The pain and sorrow felt in this process are expressed through the genre known as “melodrama.”
A genre can be defined as a collection of stories that share a single theme or narrative, repeated through various variations, and that exhibit distinct differences from other themes or narratives. The characteristic of a genre lies in the fact that the stories within it follow common rules and principles, while each story displays unique differences that give it its own distinct charm.
Based on this definition, melodrama is a story centered on love, yet it differs from romantic comedy in the nature of its emotions. While romantic comedy emphasizes humor and joy amidst friction, melodrama highlights the oppression and hardship—that is, the sorrow—experienced when love encounters obstacles, accompanied by a melancholic film score. In short, if romantic comedies depict the beginning of a romance, melodramas are a genre that deals with the end of love.
If so, why do melodramas—which tell the stories of lovers whose love is coming to an end due to oppressive and unequal social environments—gain popularity as mainstream films? In this paper, I will explore the genre’s appeal and analyze the 2005 melodrama ‘You Are My Sunshine’ to find the answer.
The Narrative and Icons of ‘You Are My Sunshine’
The film ‘You Are My Sunshine’ is a melodrama written and directed by Park Jin-pyo, starring Hwang Jung-min and Jeon Do-yeon. The plot begins when Seok-joong, a simple-hearted bachelor from the countryside, falls in love at first sight with Eun-ha, a waitress at the local “Sunjeong” coffee shop, and begins courting her in a rustic and innocent manner. After various twists and turns, the two marry, but Seok-joong learns that Eun-ha has AIDS, and when her ex-husband reappears, Seok-joong loses his entire fortune. Eventually, Eun-ha leaves Seok-joong, and he searches desperately for her. A year later, he learns that Eun-ha has been arrested for prostitution while living with HIV, and two years later, after she completes her prison sentence, the two are reunited.
In summary, the story follows a “meeting-separation-reunion” structure: Eunha, burdened by a dark past and the disease of AIDS, and the innocent Seok-joong fall in love, but Eunha chooses to part ways for Seok-joong’s sake, and Seok-joong eventually finds her again to rekindle their love. I intend to analyze this work according to the conventions of genre cinema, using the three criteria of “characters,” “setting,” and “events.”
A Pure Love Narrative
The male protagonist, Seok-jung, is a man who has never been in a relationship despite being over thirty. He attempted an international marriage abroad but failed, and to satisfy his sexual desires, he chooses masturbation over prostitution. He is portrayed as a man who cannot drink alcohol and runs a livestock farm with diligence. In contrast, the female protagonist, Eun-ha, works as a hostess at a ticket café during the day and as a hostess at a karaoke bar at night; she has been married before and contracts AIDS through prostitution.
The image the film prominently features is precisely that of “innocence.” This image of innocence is repeated throughout the three-part narrative structure of “meeting-breaking up-reuniting.” After falling for Eun-ha, Seok-joong cleans, delivers milk, buys her tickets so she can rest, and stays up all night nursing her when she is assaulted. Eun-ha accepts his love, saying, “Too much innocence is just stupidity.”
During the breakup phase, Eun-ha’s past resurfaces. The appearance of her ex-husband strips Seok-joong of his fortune, and when Eun-ha’s HIV-positive status is revealed, she leaves Seok-joong, tormented by guilt. However, Seok-joong searches endlessly for her, and even when Eun-ha is arrested for prostitution, he declares he will protect her. In the reunion scene, Seok-joong confesses his love despite having lost his voice, and Eun-ha eventually acknowledges that love, clasping his hand through a glass wall.
This film inherits the traditions of classic melodrama while presenting a modern, pure love story. Korean melodramas of the 1970s primarily focused on the sacrifices of lower-class women, while men were portrayed as sources of suffering. Since the 1990s, narratives featuring men who devotedly protect their love have increased, and women appear not as victims but as beloved figures. ‘You Are My Sunshine’ continues the tradition of 1970s hostess melodramas in the face of the changes of the 1990s, while bringing the image of the devoted man to the forefront.
Icons and Symbols
In film, an ‘icon’ refers to a symbol that conveys implicit meaning through visual or auditory expression. An icon is a means of conveying deep meaning beyond superficial expression. Just as the stuffed bird of prey in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ is a classic example symbolizing the protagonist’s hidden murderous instincts, melodramas frequently feature scenes where women are placed behind bars or windows to imply their oppressed circumstances. This is a way of visually revealing the reality of women’s confinement.
Several symbolic icons also appear in ‘You Are My Sunshine’. The “snow” falling at the beginning of the film is repeated four times: as “petals” drifting in the orchard, as “petals” drifting in the prison where Eunha is confined, and as “snow” in the reunion scene. Snow and flower petals symbolize the joy and hope present in their love. The same snow appearing at the beginning and end implies eternal love, while the flower petals signify that their love is unrealistic. Within the fictional genre of melodrama, the audience is drawn into a fantasy world.
However, the icons that appear more frequently in this film symbolize “disconnection” and “despair.” In the scene where the two first meet, the barriers at the railroad crossing are lowered, blocking their encounter; when the train passes and the barriers rise, it implies the resolution of this disconnection. Furthermore, the glass walls and speakers in the visiting room symbolize disconnected communication.
During their first visit, voices are conveyed only through the glass wall and the speaker; after the visit ends and Eun-ha leaves, Seok-joong clings to the glass wall and shouts, but he cannot break through it. He rips out the speaker and uses the hole to clasp hands with her, a scene that shows the possibility of reconnecting severed communication.
Icons of despair include “rain” and “the road leading to the sea.” Rain typically represents sadness, and the rain on the night Eunha leaves Seok-joong expresses their despair. The image of Seok-joong sitting on a road flooding with seawater symbolizes his despair about the future, and the road gradually submerging in seawater implies a situation from which he cannot escape. The third icon of despair is the “soju bottle” that Seok-joong throws in front of the detention center. Seok-joong originally couldn’t drink, but after losing Eun-ha, he began to rely on alcohol; his despair at seeing Eun-ha become a criminal is laid bare as brutally as the shattered soju bottle.
Nevertheless, the film maintains the icons of “pure love” until the very end. The milk in the bottle, the contract promising eternal love, the gimbap on the dining table, and the couple’s photograph all showcase images of pure love embedded in simple daily life. The spotted calf that appears in the final scene serves as an icon of hope, underpinning the film’s conclusion.
The Allure of a Similar Love: The Dual Ending
“This film is a love story dramatized based on a true story.” ‘You Are My Sunshine’ begins with this statement. While genre films often present clichéd and unrealistic stories in a plausible manner, they exert a greater appeal on audiences by claiming to be based on “true events.”
Most people do not believe that love with an HIV-positive partner, suicide for love, or giving up everything is realistically possible. Yet, everyone dreams of such extreme love at least once. Recalling first loves or failed relationships, they reproach themselves for not trying harder or resent the lover who hurt them. While ordinary people usually stop at dreaming, genre films provide a conclusion that brings that fantasy to life.
Genre films present a fantasy where any trial can be overcome and all lovers experience eternal love. For a brief moment, the audience becomes the protagonist and experiences the conclusion of eternal love. Yet that conclusion is not the truth. Just as icons suggesting fantasy appear in “You Are My Sunshine,” the happy endings depicted in genre films exist only in fantasy, not in reality. The director must present a dual ending: while showing the conclusion the audience desires, they must also place icons that imply it is a fantasy, thereby suggesting that it is impossible for all love to achieve a happy ending.
Conclusion
Through this analysis, we have examined the narrative, icons, and genre appeal of melodrama using ‘You Are My Sunshine’ as a case study. The core appeal of melodrama lies in the fact that it “fulfills unfulfilled love.” However, this is a false ending, not reality, and is merely a figment of the imagination. The truth exists outside the film, and we must not turn away from that truth but instead accept it seriously and overcome it.
Therefore, when watching genre films, audiences should not simply hope for and be satisfied with a happy ending; rather, they must recognize the gap between their own aspirations and actual reality and strive to bridge that gap with a conscious will. Furthermore, filmmakers should aim to structure their works in such a way that audiences can feel precisely that point.
