Cosmos Ottinger movie program - Die koreanische Hochzeitstruhe

In South Korea, the wedding chest, a massive wooden box filled with festive fabrics, silver spoons, a decorated belt or beans with magical powers, is part of the rituals surrounding the marriage. Embedded in an invented myth about the incarnation and love of two ginseng roots, Ulrike Ottinger follows the astonishing and highly complex preparations for a modern Korean wedding in Seoul.

In "The Korean Wedding Chest", Ulrike Ottinger spreads out a colorful, seemingly exotic world. She takes the viewer on a journey through the wintry city and leads them to places and situations where traditional customs and rituals meet and intertwine with modern lifestyles and business models. Beautiful dresses, fascinating rituals and perfectly staged moments are all part of the experience. Nevertheless, Ottinger does not judge what she observes: "I arrived in Seoul one day and looked at everything, drove and walked around and, above all, looked. And that's exactly how I filmed. I used the camera to collect things that caught my eye." The result is a modern ethnographic fairy tale, a treasure trove of impressions and moods.