Kim Ki-duk 2002 / Soochweein boolmyung / South Korea 2001
An openly political although in no way ideological movie focusing on the American army presence on the Korean peninsula. Several plot lines intertwine involving various villagers living near an army base. The scope of the narration does not dull the edge of individual images dominated by motifs of wounded eyes and the similarity between human and canine existences.
Set in the 1970s, this openly political although in no way ideological movie focuses on the American army presence on the Korean peninsula. Several plot lines gradually intertwine, involving various villagers living near an army base. The ambitious scope of the narration does not dull the edge of individual images dominated by motifs of wounded eyes and the similarity between human and canine existence (“When a dog looks straight at you, it’s scary, right? But you know what’s scarier? The human eye.”). The film highlights distinctive female characters and their aspirations: the mother of a mixed-blood child, Chang-kuk, longs to go seek out her former American lover, while Eun-ok, blind in her right eye, can do nothing else than hope for the success of an upcoming operation. Chang-kuk, whom the villagers treat deplorably because of his origins, comes into conflict with another social outcast, a veteran who sells dog meat. In the end the two men pay for their conflict with their lives, and the relationship between Eun-ok and the young American who funds for her eye operation, at first loving, takes an unexpected turn.
116 min / Black & white, 35 mm
Director Kim Ki-duk
/ Screenplay Kim Ki-duk
/ Dir. of Photography Suh Jong-min
/ Music Park Ho-joon
/ Editor Hah Sung-won
/ Producer Lee Seung-jae
/ Production LJ Film
/ Cast Yang Dong-kun, Ban Min-jung, Kim Young-min, Cho Jae-hyun
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