good movie, bad ending

Reggie 2022-03-09 08:02:17

This is a cleverly conceived and profound film. A North Korean fisherman has been fishing at the border for a living. One day, his small fishing boat broke down, and he couldn't bear his boat, so he was taken to Korea by boat. As a result, he was subjected to a "twisted and bizarre" interrogation by the South Korean side, and was finally sent back to North Korea.

As the protagonist said: Maybe I have too many fish in the net, and now I have weighed the fish in the net and can't get out. Originally a country, because of the division of history, it has caused more troublesome problems than between two countries. It is because of the special relationship between North Korea and South Korea that they both do ridiculous things in the "name of the country". On the South Korean side, they thought that the North Korean people were in dire straits and saved one by one. Those who came to the door on their own initiative were either refugees or secret agents. For the protagonist who lives in embarrassment and has no choice but to enter the border because of an accident, it is definitely an "outlier".

The protagonist, just as the little South Korean agent who guarded him understands, because his wife and daughter are still in North Korea, no matter how good South Korea is, he is not willing to leave, and even more anxious to go home because he is afraid that his wife and daughter will be hurt. However, South Korea only maintains two extreme judgments: either secret agents or refugees. When they tried their best to keep the protagonist (promised to send money and things to the house, and even deliberately let him go to let him feel the prosperity and beauty of the Korean capital; they even played countermeasures and deliberately played the protagonist in Seoul on TV. The scenes lingering on the streets force the protagonist to submit); when they cannot keep the protagonist, or even frame it, they will put the protagonist on the hat of a "spy". Ready to send him to jail. After all, the protagonist has received military training (was a soldier) and understands "national justice and family safety", so he insists on not fleeing and not opening his eyes. However, because another North Korean who was arrested and killed asked him to share a message with his daughter, he still took a risk and left for a while; he even rescued a prostitute who was beaten by hooligans in the middle (this plot is also special Interesting, pointed out the problem of South Korea: it is obviously prosperous and strong, but why do some people sell their bodies to support their families and support their younger brothers to go to school).

When the protagonist successfully returned to his hometown, he experienced another interrogation by the North Korean security services, and it was equally absurd. Not trust, but also let him on TV to make him make positive publicity. What's even worse is that he kept torturing him, and when he found the dollars he had hidden in his anus (a thoughtful gift from a small Korean agent), several people embezzled the small money and then let him go.

Originally, he walked out of the interrogation room and returned to the arms of his family. The mission of the entire film has been completed. It pointed out the problem in a very "black humor" and thought-provoking (I believe that the people and governments of both Korea and North Korea should be able to understand the true meaning). Unfortunately, in the end, the protagonist was unable to reconcile with his wife after returning home, and even deliberately boarded the fishing boat again and was shot and killed by the North Korean military. Such an ending seems to be deliberately done by the screenwriter, in order to praise that South Korea is always better than North Korea. But not only is it absurd and illogical, but it dilutes a very well-designed theme. 18.5.18

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Extended Reading
  • Timothy 2022-03-20 09:03:04

    1. The characters are masked and the plot is stereotyped, which is the most boring kind of movie; 2. But when Kim Ki-duk is criticized, the strength of his six relatives is still ruthless, North and South Korea and China, big or small, have been criticized 3. The erotic drama that echoes before and after is a bit interesting.

  • Verlie 2022-04-23 07:05:12

    Kim Ki-duk also started the main theme, discussing the issue of hatred between the North and the South, a good-natured fisherman who crossed the border and became a suspected spy in South Korea, returned to the country and became a traitor of the Northern Dynasty. The beatings come as soon as they say it, freedom and dictatorship are bullshit, and the poor are always civilians. Once they get into the net, don't think about the days of getting out again.

The Net quotes

  • Oh Jin-woo: The brighter the light, the darker its shadow...