JOINT SECURITY AREA (2000)

When my best friend Karter agreed to share his collection of action movies, I was expecting gun shots, graphic violence and mindless stunt sequences. It is not that, he does not enjoy good movies. But his love for action movies opens a threat to everyone close to him. He has a special interest in them. Fortunately the shared movies belonged to one country-South Korea. I have a special interest in South Korean movies. I think every Keralite holds a special place for Korean movies, especially the movies directed by Kim Ki Duc. He is a house hold name in Kerala. His movies are screened year after year in our International film festival .Last year he visited the film festival with his latest movie-Moebius. He was given a kingly welcome. (I really don’t want to talk about Moebius. I think the movie was beyond my experience and understanding.)But thanks to him, South Korean movies continue to fascinate us.

 Among the 5 movies that, I borrowed from Karter, Joint Security Area was the one I really did not want to watch. Name suggested stupid action sequences and aerial bombing scenes. I knew that, Quentin Tarantino had recommended it in 2009.Still it did not ring the bell. But then having nothing to watch, I encountered it yesterday. The movie opens with a shooting scene and the scenes that followed were ridiculously executed. English dialogues were out of place and the acting was amateurish. I thought my initial fears were right.

But then, it started to engage me. Shooting episode occurs in the heavy militarized border between North and South Korea, which leaves a North Korean soldier (Shin Ha- Kyun) dead and a South Korean soldier injured. The incident becomes a threat to the enforced truce, forcing both sides to send for a mediator to “solve” the problem. Enter Major Sophie Lang (Yeong-ae Lee), an officer in the Swiss Army, famous for their neutrality. Sophie is Korean, but she’s never been to Korea. Her investigation helps us to see that, there was an unusual bonding existed between the rival soldiers. We get to know that, it was most innocent and heartwarming. They separate politics from personal life and enter into a beautiful ambience of childlike innocence. But tension arises soon between rival forces and the South Korean friends -Soo-hyeok and Sung-shik- returns to the remote camp in DMZ to say goodbye and celebrate North Korean friend Woo-jin's birthday. But the commanding officer of the north blows their cover and they are exposed to Mexican standoff. The scenes that follow, explicitly explains the things that are under investigation. It also helps us to understand the strong bonding between the rival soldiers and the guilt of Soo-hyeok in particular. Sung-shik attempts for suicide and Soo-hyeok ends his life. 

The movie specifically takes us to the human emotions under the war torn borders and it also gives us an insight on how humanity survives beyond borders. The scene in the mine field where Soo-hyeok is struck to mine and Oh and Private Jeong Woo-jin (North Korean Soldiers) decide to disarm the mine and save him from death is extremely real and beautiful.   

But the movie has a big flaw which becomes obvious with the characterization of Major Sophie Lang. She appears to be confused and her character lacks credibility. Whenever she appears on screen, you tend to believe that, the movie is artificial. We desperately hope that, she disappears and the soldiers appear. Those guys who played soldiers did a wonderful job.  No wonder Lee  Byung-Hun became famous for his histrionic skills worldwide.  Sound design of the movie is remarkable and so is the cinematography. 

I had seen Old Boy of Park Chan-Wook. It was a treat. Now having watched   his Joint Security Area and heavily impressed with his body of work, I have decided to watch all his works.

Thanks Karter.