A Semiotic Analysis of Narrative Structure in “Little Forest”

“Little Forest” is a Korean film, created by director Lim Soon-rye in 2018, This study aims to investigate the narrative structure of “Little Forest” through semiotic models, focusing on 'actant model’ and 'carre semiotique' suggested by Greimas. In the analysis applying actant model, the object of desire pursued by Hyewon, the protagonist of the movie, is a life that pursues self-sufficiency, cherishing present happiness in the countryside. As the object of desire becomes life filled with self-sufficiency, antagonist faction becomes urban life, where tensions and pressures are naturalized for the future. Since no character who forms a direct conflict with Hyewon in the film, the antagonist is not presented as a concrete figure but at an abstract level called urban life. When analyzed by carre semiotique, urban life is a life dictated by the present society that naturalizes competition and performance-oriented value. The forbidden area in the opposite relationship presented by carre semiotique is a life that pursues self-sufficiency, realizing human values that urban life in a capitalist society cannot provide. Revealing critical perspective on urban life in Seoul, the film gives a chance to rethink personal life that increases self-satisfaction.