‘Devilish’ Eroticism Appeared in Kim Gi－yeong’s Films－Focused on a Series of “Maid”－

The purpose of this paper is to investigate that what a series of“Maid”, a representative film of Kim Gi－yeong, ultimately embodiesis longing for eroticism, which is closely associated with social tabootaken its place firmly in the real world, desire to violate this, andcompulsion for violence and death(killing). During his life time, director Kim Gi－yeong had clung to makemovies with a same theme_ affair and ruin between mid－aged marriedman and maid_ until his pass away by the unexpected accident in1998 since he made a film “Maid”(1960). That he stick to this cinematicset－up of sexual combination and destruction against socialmorals/ethics is seen as that inner experience of true eroticism is possibleonly when we experience pleasure, fear and sense of guilt(anguish/pain)at the same time, occurred by violation of taboo. Kim Gi－yeong positively utilizes format of frame in a series of“Maid”, which is a method that policemen who strictly control couplesof ‘wholesome’ family and society, leading stories outside of frame, introducestories inside of frame; that is, a story of ‘dangerous’ man andwoman. This format serves a function of mitigating dangerousness ofthe inside(introduced story), by setting up boundary/separation betweenthe inside(introduced story) and the outside(those carrying a story). Besides, this charges a function of emphasizing the inside(introducedstory), by giving prominence to disparate characters different areashave. And in the story inside of frame(introduced story), main agent oferoticism is postulated as woman, not man. This cinematic set－upmay be thought of maximizing man’s sexual fantasy, rather than stressing woman’s activeness in the area of eroticism, Through thismethod, director Kim Gi－yeong clearly materializes through severeopposition between couples of middle class families and maids a factthat modern society is a society fundamentally suppressing eroticism,and due to this, inner experience of true eroticism is impossible. Ofmain characters, Lee Jeong－sim, a housewife of a middle－classfamily, is a character showing an appearance that her desire isrefracted(distorted) by the sexual energy being converted as labor, andthe maid is a character showing primitive sexual desire in conflict withthe real world. Meanwhile, Kim Dong－sik is set up as a twofoldcharacter who has a strong craving for eroticism and a desire to obeythe social order of the real world at the same time. This makes himcontinuously suffer from the sense of guilt; however, it shows anaspect that this guilty conscience gives an impetus to passion foreroticism and acts as a mechanism of expanding it, rather thanrepressing it. Through this aspect, director Kim Gi－yeong clearlyembodies a fact that eroticism is a psychological pursuit that basicallydistinguishes from the sex aiming at reproduction, and this can beexperienced only through simultaneous experiences of guilty feeling,fear and pleasure. Thus, a series of “Maid” directed by Kim Gi－yeong may be seenas the first movie in Korea that earnestly explored longing for‘devilish’ eroticism inherent in everyone, regardless of any time andregion, and a movie showing his cinematic directivity most.