A young South Korean filmmaker (Jeong-hyun Mun) decides to make a documentary about the history of his family, talked into it by his mother. Soon he learns that he did not know much about it and the wounds inflicted upon society by the Korean war are deeper than it seems.
Ideological dispute between communism and capitalism turned into a bloody civil war, in which not only a neighbor fought against a neighbor, but the clash of ideas could have a tragic ending even within the same family. When the young filmmaker starts to explore the subject deeper, he learns that the divisions are still in place and people with leftist beliefs did not abandon them in spite of fear of North's aggression, laws of public security and widespread state indoctrination. They can even cheer on North Korean nuclear tests, because they are proud that "our people showed those damn imperialists!"
The story presented in this documentary unfolds rather slowly and can be a little tiring at first, but as Mr. Mun uncovers next layers of the long-standing conflicts, traumas and frustrations, we are driven more and more into the narrative and in the end no one should be left indifferent to it. Especially people blinded by the urge of condemning others for sins of the past should be forced to watch this great documentary. It shows vividly that in ideological disputes everyone has his own truth and the world is not so black-and-white, as some people would like it to be. And the pursuit of justice by the victims after many decades would not bring any good to anyone. Even to those taking revenge.
My rating: 7/10
Ideological dispute between communism and capitalism turned into a bloody civil war, in which not only a neighbor fought against a neighbor, but the clash of ideas could have a tragic ending even within the same family. When the young filmmaker starts to explore the subject deeper, he learns that the divisions are still in place and people with leftist beliefs did not abandon them in spite of fear of North's aggression, laws of public security and widespread state indoctrination. They can even cheer on North Korean nuclear tests, because they are proud that "our people showed those damn imperialists!"
The story presented in this documentary unfolds rather slowly and can be a little tiring at first, but as Mr. Mun uncovers next layers of the long-standing conflicts, traumas and frustrations, we are driven more and more into the narrative and in the end no one should be left indifferent to it. Especially people blinded by the urge of condemning others for sins of the past should be forced to watch this great documentary. It shows vividly that in ideological disputes everyone has his own truth and the world is not so black-and-white, as some people would like it to be. And the pursuit of justice by the victims after many decades would not bring any good to anyone. Even to those taking revenge.
My rating: 7/10