Benson Lee: SEOUL SEARCHING (2015)

벤슨 리: 서울 캠프 1986

You can find the original article in Hungarian here →

Seoul Searching:
1980s Nostalgia and the Quest for Identity

The central conflict of this film is far from unfamiliar to us. Due to the historical and economic storms of the past century, millions of Hungarians emigrated to various corners of the globe. The situation of the Korean diaspora is remarkably similar; there are roughly seven million ethnic Koreans living outside the peninsula. While the vast majority reside in neighboring China and Japan, this film focuses on those living in the United States, South America, and Europe. More specifically, it explores a unique dilemma: how the motherland and the primarily second-generation Western youth can relate to one another.

Director Benson Lee

Director Benson Lee has direct experience in this field. As a Korean-American, he was part of a short-lived experiment in the 1980s where the Korean government organized summer camps for overseas youth who knew precious little about their ancestral home. Whether voluntarily or under parental pressure, these teenagers embarked on a journey back to Korea to find their identity.

The film's opening sequence, which evokes the Korean War, reveals that the summer camps ultimately failed because, despite noble intentions, Korea simply didn't know how to handle the cultural and behavioral mixture these visiting youngsters brought with them.

While not explicitly stated, the story initially unfolds from the perspective of the motherland’s locals. We see the arriving teenagers as stereotyped, occasionally caricatured figures—a reflection of the shocked and horrified faces of the Koreans who must have observed these "oddities." The camp is a parade of 1980s Western alternative subcultures: loudmouths, provocative women, sexual liberation, cliques, punks, hip-hop heads, and a pervasive presence of alcohol. Even today, the Korean soul hasn't entirely shed the reserved nature shaped by centuries as the "Hermit Kingdom." In 1986, despite decades of cultural influence from the American military presence, Korea was far from the reality we know today.

What unfolds is a romantic comedy, "Korean style": a high dosage of both humorous and emotional ingredients, with the linguistic humor being particularly entertaining. We gain deeper insight into the lives of three selected boys and three girls, as well as the Korean teacher in charge of the campers. The film subtly but accurately introduces significant Korean issues—the scene set in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the meeting with a biological mother are both exceptionally well-executed.

The film is fast-paced, and although the background stories of the numerous characters are only sketched out, the director expertly delivers moments that hit the audience emotionally. The individual fates outline the entire spectrum of problems faced by those living abroad in a precise yet unobtrusive manner. Through the youth, we also get a glimpse of the parents' generation. This is especially interesting because the first generation, trying to integrate into foreign societies, still carries the essence of their "Koreanness," often leading to conflicts with their children who grew up with Western values. The film sensitively portrays the realizations and understandings gained during the camp that ripple back into parent-child relationships.

Naturally, both the youth and their teachers step-by-step shed their initial mutual alienation. Through considerable struggle, they find a common language. Most importantly, a mutual respect is born that looks beyond cultural differences. The film does not portray failure; this time, everyone leaves enriched. The noble character of the locals is revealed, while the "raging youth" gain a human face—becoming respectful in a way that is mutually recognized. One might criticize this as over-idealization, as the camps likely would have continued if everything had always gone this smoothly.

However, there is a further element that gives meaning to this idealization. The connections formed in the camp are not just between the motherland and the individuals, but also network-like among youth from various national backgrounds. The film accurately shows—since we are in the world of teenagers—that the first conflicts arise along the fault lines of youth subcultures. To help this "party-to-party" progression, we are treated to an excellent musical backdrop, including tracks by The Clash and Spandau Ballet. Thus, the youth experience not only the unifying bond of their Koreanness but also a broader, global sense of humanity through the breaking down of prejudices—all in the era before the internet. By the end, stereotypes melt away and subcultural costumes are shed. Simple, clear-faced young people head home, having formed lasting friendships and romances. The world is beautiful, and life is worth living. (We wouldn't mind having that 80s vibe back...)

The protagonists are primarily Western-born or raised Koreans. Not all of them are professional actors; interestingly, some were discovered via YouTube. Justin Chon (familiar from the Twilight Saga) stars alongside Jessika Van, Teo Yoo, Esteban Ahn, Rosalina Lee, and Kang Byul, while the teacher is played by Cha In-pyo.

The film had its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where all three screenings were met with standing ovations.

Kang Woo-suk: SILMIDO (2003)

강우석: 실미도

You can find the original article in Hungarian here →

* Warning: This post contains spoilers! *

Silmido:
When Reality Outruns the Imagination

It is hardly an original realization that life often simply overwhelms human imagination. Yet, this cliché inevitably comes to the minds of travelers who, looking down from planes departing Incheon, point to the uninhabited Silmi Island and learn its history. The remnants still found on the island are mementos of a far wilder story than anything E. M. Nathanson, author of the novel that inspired The Dirty Dozen, could have ever devised.

A total media blackout surrounded the true events until 1990. Although the 2003 film Silmido directed the public's attention toward the history of Unit 684, it took another three years for the government to issue an official statement. This was linked to a lawsuit filed by the families of the unit's members against the government—a case they eventually won, resulting in a state settlement.

Unit 684—the name is telling, referring to April 1968, the month the detachment was formed. This was one of the most tense periods between North and South Korea. In January of that year, the most serious incident occurred: Northern commandos infiltrated the South with the intent of assassinating the president. Although the Blue House raid failed, the ensuing gunfight resulted in a high number of military and civilian casualties.

Following the principle of "an eye for an eye," the South decided on a forceful response. Under the auspices of the Air Force, they created Unit 684, whose covert mission was to liquidate the Northern leader, Kim Il-sung. Such a task was essentially a suicide mission; success required super-soldiers who were exceptionally motivated and trained far beyond average standards.

But who could be motivated by such an insane task? Only those who could be rescued from a living hell or the shadow of the death penalty by "volunteering." This offered not only the chance of mercy but the opportunity to live out the rest of their lives on a heroic pedestal. Thus, thirty-one men with troubled pasts—social outcasts to a man—found themselves on Silmi Island, along with a military training team that had also largely volunteered.

Sol Kyung-gu

What follows is the ruthless process of creating super-soldiers: a soul-crushing, body-breaking cycle of destruction and rebuilding through selected cruelties. The training sequences—taking place in mud, snow, air, or underwater—unfold like a frantic military action film, trampling over the bodies of those lost along the way. We hurtle toward the climax, where, after two years of physical and mental torment, we see 24 commandos with crazed eyes and ultimate determination, ready to pounce on their target. Simultaneously, we witness a parade of acting talent, as the elite unit members are portrayed by such significant actors as Sol Kyung-gu, Jung Jae-young, Kang Si-nil, Kang Sung-jin, Lim Won-hee, and Uhm Tae-woong.

Then, something utterly absurd and unimaginable happens: the order arrives to abort the mission. As relations between the two countries began to thaw and hardline political stances softened, the bloodthirsty elites were replaced by more diplomatic figures. The leader of the detachment—having endured two years of torture—is faced with the fact that the entire secret mission has suddenly become "uncomfortable" for the reigning political leadership.

Here, the film switches tracks from an action-drama to something closer to a psychological drama. We follow the unit members through the stages of realization leading to a fundamental question: since we have stood in the way of power to the point where even our existence must remain a secret, is there any chance of escape?

The order from Seoul plunges the military leaders on the island into a moral dilemma as well. The film highlights the unspoken, impossible bond forged between superiors and subordinates during the years of torture—a hard-won mutual respect where the "scum of society" regained a human face, and the trainers, despite their cruelties, involuntarily shared in the sub-human living conditions.

Ahn Sung-ki

The commander of the special mission, who dominates the island as a charismatic military leader, is portrayed by Ahn Sung-ki. His performance is most impactful when his character’s strength fails him, and he cannot grapple with the task imposed upon him due to moral considerations, ultimately shifting the burden onto others.

The final stage of the true events presented a difficult task for the filmmakers. While there were a few survivors among both the soldiers and the trainees, reliable information about the actual motives for the breakout remains scarce. The heroic ending chosen for the film is largely supported by the fact that the masters of political games played unscrupulously with human lives. No human being could experience a more terrible punishment than the attempt to erase all traces of their existence from the book of life. Possessed by this terrible realization, our super-warriors—now becoming sacrificial heroes—embark on their final, desperate struggle.

For the sake of historical accuracy, it should be noted that the four surviving rebels were sentenced to death and executed in 1972.

Director Kang Woo-suk

Under the direction of Kang Woo-suk, the members of the unit do not dissolve into a faceless mass. Many characters are given distinct identities, and the human games within and between the groups help the audience engage deeply with the story. Although the film never leans toward a documentary style and its ending cannot fully resist the temptation of heroic movie clichés, it nonetheless matures into a powerful manifesto against the implementation of political delusions. Silmido not only evokes the best genre precursors (such as Oliver Stone’s Platoon) but stands its ground honorably in competition with them.

In South Korea, this became the first film to attract more than 10 million viewers to the cinemas.