When Lee Eun Joo was found dead after hanging herself in her apartment last February, it was the ultimate sad conclusion for an actress whose work is characterized by melancholy. The rising star was uncannily adept at portraying a tragic love interest. In her films, Lee exudes an emotional depth that pulsates beneath the surface of her beauty. With her passing, the tinge of sorrow she carries on screen now seems palpable and real. Though Lee is best known to American audiences for her role in "Tae Guk Gi," she appeared in nine other films in her short career, as well as several popular TV dramas. Here, then, is a brief look at four of her major films. NOTE: There are some major plot spoilers to follow.

THE VIRGIN STRIPPED BARE BY HER BACHELORS (2000)
Interestingly, Lee’s first major film is one of the few in which her character survives to the credits. Lee plays Soo Jung, a young office clerk seduced by a wealthy man to whom she refuses to relinquish her virginity. Shot in black and white and languidly paced, the darkly comic film is director Hong Sang Soo’s most overtly arthouse flick. The story is split into two differing narratives covering the same awkward courtship. The result is a sort of "he said, she said" mishmash with all the Hong essentials — nuanced dialogue, excessive drinking and regretful sex. Lee, who was just 19 at the movie’s release, ably projects youthful innocence and curiosity as the object of desire — both flirtatious and frustrating. The nature of Hong’s work requires muted, natural performances from his actors, and Lee impressively delivers.

BUNGEE JUMPING OF THEIR OWN (2001)
This was reportedly Lee’s favorite movie, and with its theme of reincarnation, it is the one that will likely resonate most in the aftermath of her death. The story begins like a typical romantic melodrama, when the paths of college students Tae Hee (Lee) and In Woo (Lee Byung Heon of "JSA") cross on a rainy day in 1983. In Woo is immediately smitten, and the first third of the film focuses on his endearingly clumsy pursuit of Tae Hee. Eventually, the two form an inseparable bond, broken only when In Woo has to leave for military service. On the eve of his departure, In Woo waits to pick up Tae Hee at a train station, but she never shows up. The film then shifts 17 years forward to find In Woo as a married teacher whose passion for Tae Hee is suddenly reignited by one of his male students, whom In Woo believes is the reincarnation of his first love. The latter half of the film deals with the life-changing ramifications of that discovery on both In Woo and his teenage student. Though Lee Eun Joo has considerably less screen time than her co-star, she leaves an indelible mark on the film. Tae Hee is beautiful but not vain, sweet but not cloying. You can sense it when she teaches In Woo to waltz, or comforts his nerves on their first night together, or lovingly caresses his face for the last time. It is certainly not hard to believe that In Woo would sacrifice everything to be with her again.