The online festival hosted five movies produced in South Korea as part of its Country Focus program. Which draws attention to the works of a specific part of the world. Today we will quickly run down each movie shown in this program from worst to best. We will provide a basic plot synopsis of each movie and summarise whether you should watch them.

The Swordsman

In this story, royal guard Tae-yul has gone into hiding with his daughter Tae-ok, and is slowly going blind. Nonetheless, he is forced to take up the sword again when his daughter is captured by slaver Gurutai.

This was the program’s most disappointing entry. Unlike other acclaimed modern South Korean action films, such as A Bittersweet Life and The Villainess which had great senses of style and strong characterisation, The Swordsman feels very inert. With the choreography being flat and most of the characters feeling like stock archetypes. Unfortunately, though the actors try their best, The Swordsman doesn’t cut the mustard. Rating: (2 / 5).

Da Capo

Described as a treat for fans of Sing Street and School of Rock, Da Capo follows musician Tae-Il who returns to his hometown and helps his former bandmate Ji-Won by training a young band at her music school to enter a competition.

Those looking for something new may be disappointed by Da Capo. The story is fairly cliché, being all about a struggling musician who comes to find fulfilment in just playing music rather than being successful. The film works best if seen as a love letter to making music. Watching the main characters explore their passion is intoxicating. Also, it’s helped along by a stellar soundtrack and some creative camerawork that gets across the otherworldly wonder of creating something. It may be a familiar tune but it’s still an enjoyable listen. Rating: (3 / 5).

Voice of Silence

An oddball crime film where Tae-in, a mute man who provides clean-up services for organised crime, is forced to care for a young child while his boss waits for her ransom to be paid. But things soon go awry. And both he and his partner, Chang-bok, must find a way out for them and the child.

Voice of Silence is an unpredictable experience. Beginning as a mildly violent crime film, with the two main characters having to take care of bodies for their mob boss, it then transitions into a lightly comedic caper as they look after the kidnapped girl, before delving into some unsettling territory in the last third. While the fluctuating tone may put some viewers off and most of the characters do lack depth it’s worth viewing for the excitement of watching the story unfold. Rating: (3 / 5).

Our Midnight

Struggling actor Ji-hoon takes up a job patrolling the bridge over the Han River to stop people from jumping. One night he meets Eun-yeung who is struggling at work and they begin to form a bond as they drift through the city of Seoul.

Our Midnight is a beautiful meditative piece about the hardship of living in an uncaring modern world. Despite its problems, such as one scene’s random inclusion of fantastical elements, the narrative being a bit loose and sometimes hard to follow and relying a bit too much on dialogue to make its point, the story’s sheer power, the beautiful black and white cinematography and the emotionally resonant performances from the leads make it worthwhile. Rating: (3.5 / 5).

The Man Standing Next

When the KCIA’s former head, Park Yong-gak, offers to give information against South Korea’s President Park to the US, Kim Gyu-pyeong, the current KCIA head, must “solve” the problem. But as President Park becomes more dangerously paranoid thanks to corrupting influences in his inner circle and protests threatening to erupt, how can Kim “solve” this situation?

Undoubtedly this thriller was the Country Focus program’s highlight. The writing is riveting. With great dialogue and captivating character work that effectively explores the relationships and drives of the central players. Its direction and music create a tense atmosphere. And finally, the actors are all fantastic. Particularly Lee Byung-hun who invests Kim with a good deal of humanity masked by an outwardly stoic manor. No wonder this was South Korea’s submission for Best International Feature at the 2021 Oscars. Rating: (4 / 5).

This ends my recap of the 2021 Glasgow Film Festival South Korean Country Focus program. If any of these films piqued your interest be sure to track them down and let us know what you think of them.

Also Read: Netflix and The Success of South Korea

The post Spotlight on South Korea at the Glasgow Film Festival appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Today we are going to look over Netflix’s commitment in more detail. As well as what this could mean for Netflix and the media produced in South Korea. But first, we are going to look at what led to this decision.

South Korea’s International Stardom

South Korea has been producing critically well-regarded media for years. Movies like Oldboy, The Host, Train to Busan and Burning (among others) found critical acclaim across the world. Some films also performed moderately well at the international box office. The Handmaiden was one of the highest-grossing foreign-language films in the UK in 2017. Burn the Stage: The Movie also had moderate success in the UK in 2018. K-dramas also rose in appeal over the years. With Winter Sonata, My Love from the Star (Both listed in the book 1001 TV shows to watch before you die) and more gaining international cult followings. However, the successes of Korean media still seemed relatively small in western territories such as the UK and USA. Until 2020.

Parasite had a large impact on how western cinemagoers perceived South Korean cinema. It won the 2020 Best Picture Oscar and became the highest-grossing Korean Language film in the USA and the highest-grossing foreign-language film of all time in the UK. Subsequent streaming hits, including the zombie film #Alive, which was US Netflix’s 4th most popular foreign-language film in 2020, and the TV show Sweet Home, which acquired 22 million viewers worldwide, appearing on the Netflix Top 10 in the UK and USA, showed definitively that western audiences were ready to devour South Korean entertainment.

Netflix’s Investment

With successes both nationally and internationally, particularly on Netflix (Netflix recorded 3.8 million paid memberships in South Korea by the end of 2020, largely fuelled by the Netflix content produced in Korea. Its K-drama viewing figures also rose by 100% over the last year in the US), proving that there is a growing appetite for more of what Korea has to offer, it is only natural that Netflix would want to capitalise on this opportunity and do what it can to keep subscribers happy and increasing.

Recently Netflix’s VP of Content for South Korea, Minyoung Kim, announced the company would be investing almost $500 million into Korean content. It will be working with both established creators and emerging talents to, “add more variety and diversity to our growing slate”.

A Recipe For Success

This investment is fantastic news for both fans of South Korean entertainment and the content makers themselves.

From the fan’s perspective, it means that more projects will be made available. Which will include Netflix financed original productions. Movie projects such as Carter and Moral Sense, dramas like The Silent Sea, the documentary My Love, and Netflix’s first K-sitcom So Not Worth It are already planned. And also thanks to partnerships with major South Korean companies other programs may have the chance to have wider distribution. With well-received shows like My Love from the Star and The Good Detective already being made available through their platform.

And for the makers, it is an exciting opportunity. It will allow older creative talents to make projects they’ve always wanted to make. Thanks to Netflix’s ethic of creative freedom. Newer creators will have the opportunity to showcase their talents on a well-regarded platform. And it means both will be able to have a large worldwide audience.

Conclusion

After years of acclaimed and moderately successful South Korean products being exported internationally, Parasite showed how successful South Korean media can be in western territories. And with the growing number of South Korean Netflix subscribers and an international audience hungry for more of the country’s movies and TV shows, Netflix’s investment into production and distribution, as well as its pledge to work with creators both new and old on a variety of projects, is not only a smart move for Netflix but an exciting one for Korean creators and K-fans.

Also Read: #Alive (Review)

Read More: Parasite Director Bong Joon-Ho Once Described The Oscars As Very Local

The post Netflix and The Success of South Korea appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Synopsis

Oh Joon-woo (Yoo Ah-In), who lives with his family and spends most of his time streaming himself playing videogames, wakes up one morning to find the news talking about the spread of a disease that is causing people to become rabid and consume human flesh. He soon becomes trapped inside his parent’s apartment. Although he posts a rescue request on social media, he soon faces the prospect of surviving on his own. Driven to despair he thinks about ending his life. However, he is saved when he finds another living person in his apartment complex, Kim Yoo-bin (Park Shin-Hye). Finally having something to live for they both decide to manoeuvre to the top of the complex to be safer. But is it really as safe as they think?

What Did I Like?

With the themes of disease and isolation playing on everyone’s minds this year, #Alive seems very relevant. And the way it explores these themes feels quite captivating from a cinematic perspective. In the first half, the film has long stretches without dialogue. As Joon-Woo attempts to navigate through the world’s ever-growing craziness. And sometimes Joon-Woo speaks to himself or people who can’t respond. Which is a very accurate dramatic way of showcasing the isolation and growing mania of the main character. The film conveying information to the audience through television news and social media also feels very realistic. And is an effective way of placing us in Joon-woo’s perspective.

Coupled with this the film has some fantastic central performances. Yoo Ah-In is impeccable as the immature tech-obsessed Oh Joon-Woo. Managing to make us laugh at his obliviousness and over the top actions while also making us empathise with his position. Park Shin-Hye is also really good as survivalist Kim Yoo-bin. She’s very much the straight person to Joon-woo’s more animated personality, and her cold put-downs of him are very funny. Combined with this she is also a very warm presence in her private moments and she really sells her action-heavy scenes. Making her into a funny heroine who knows how to handle herself in a hairy situation but still has a very relatable human core. And special mention must go to late player Jeon Bae-soo who leaves a great impact as the only survivor on the top floor, with an outwardly inviting attitude hiding something sinister.

What Did I Not Like?

Unfortunately, #Alive is held back by much of its story feeling rather generic. Most of the film’s plot beats – the outbreak, failure of the government to respond, survivors teaming up to take on the horde – are by now standard for zombie films. Making #Alive seem very stale. While the potentially refreshing elements (the idea of facing the peril alone or how social media might affect someone’s understanding of the apocalypse) are either underdeveloped or are jettisoned by the halfway point. Which leaves the film feeling like just another zombie movie with some half-hearted gimmicks added on.

The production work is also lacking. With the constant jump cuts being very distracting; making the film seem rather amateurish instead of contributing to any sort of presentational effect. The lacklustre musical score also adds little to the overall experience. Not to mention the only standout visual decision is to incorporate drone footage into the narrative. Otherwise, the film’s visual presentation is very conventional. Leaving little of interest from a stylistic perspective.

Finally, the film’s climax feels very out of step with the rest of the film. With the ever-darkening tone suddenly dropped for a hopeful ending. It sees the two main characters rescued by the army because of Joon-Woo’s social media post. Not only does this feel tonally contrary to the rest of the movie but it also feels very implausible. As the post was made days before the rescue effort. Meaning there was no guarantee that the main characters were still alive. So why would army resources be used on this? And with the film focusing little on social media outside of the first act, this conclusion feels inappropriate.

Verdict

#Alive has some great central performances. As well as some unique ideas for how to explore isolation and the spread of disease. With that said #Alive is let down by not committing to its more interesting ideas. The result is a project that despite some inventive ingredients ultimately becomes like every other zombie movie. Which is further diminished by some poor production decisions. As well as the out-of-place conclusion. Consequently #Alive is little more than a fun disposable distraction. 

Rating: (2.5 / 5)

Also Read: A Quiet Place 2: A Film Too Far?

The post Review: #Alive (2020) [Spoilers] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.