A Flower in Hell is director Shin Sang-Ok′s early masterpiece. The film demonstrates the director′s interest in social themes. Set in a devastated post-war Seoul, the film depicts the city′s tragic inner life, using melodrama and social criticism as its two main axes. Newly arrived in Seoul, Dong-Sik meets his brother Young-Sik, who smuggles merchandise from a U.S. army base, and his lover Sonya. However, when Sonya- who sells her body to the American G.I.s- seduces Dong-Sik, a tragic love triangle is formed. From the opening sequences on, the director criticizes the reality in which his characters live. Scenes of the Seoul train station and Namdaemun market, where the dregs of society struggle for bread, and the provocative smiles of the prostitutes are used to this effect. The director was given a small budget for the film, and consequently struggled with the film′s location. However, the meager budget contributed to the realistic depiction of the post-war Seoul. Choi Eun-Hee′s performance as Sonya succeeds in capturing the lives of Korean women caught in the horror that was post-war Seoul. (Kwon Yong-Min)