WTF ASIA: Joint Security Area
South Korea. Home to Gangnam. And kimchi. And those angry store owners whom you see in Black movies. And the guy who made Oldboy. Speaking of which, a few years before he made Oldboy, Park Chan-Wook made another film that would put him on the map. At least in Korea. JSA: Joint Security Area, which I have talked about before on multiple occasions, is the first Korean movie that I remember seeing, and it remains one of my favorites.
This film is a uniquely Korean film if only for the fact that it deals with a uniquely Korean subject: the Korean Conflict. The Korean peninsula is…or was…one of the most ethnically homogenous places in the world. Korea has a long history, often told in a way that holds the people together through good times and bad times. And, yet, world events split the peninsula into two countries, which have been at war for the past sixty years. Many South Korean movies television shows that involve North Korea (at least the ones that I have seen) have been reluctant to simply paint North Korea as THE bad guy, and sometimes play up the notion that things could be different if only this or that. Brotherhood is supposed to imply togetherness, but when brothers are pitted against each other, the resulting bloodshed can be worse than in any other type of fight. And the pain can be that much more severe. How this is presented varies from story to story, and some are more successful than others. In my opinion, Joint Security Area presented it pretty simply and most effectively.
Sophie Jang has been brought to Korea’s Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission to investigate the deaths of two North Korean soldiers at the border of the two nations, the Joint Security Area. The two deaths led to a minor firefight between the two countries and accusations are flying. Sophie is tasked with finding out why the shooting happened, but both sides already have their official stories. The South accuses the North of kidnapping one of their troops, who killed the two soldiers during his escape. The North accuses the soldier of sneaking across the border and attacking the guard post. It is not long before she realizes that both sides are hiding something, and the people directly involved in the deaths share a major secret that could mean death for all of them.
And that secret? Well, I will not tell you here. I will say, though, that it is a fairly simple one. Aaand, I might have dropped a hint somewhere. So, think of the simplest answer that you can and you might be correct. But that is not really the point. The movie stops being a mystery once we enter the flashback, which takes up a significant portion of the film. It turns into more of a character piece about people and nationhood, about war and hatred, about loyalty and friendship, about trust and betrayal, about the trauma of having to do a horrible thing, about the inevitability of tragedy in a hostile world, about the lengths that people will go to protect a secret, and the lengths that people will go to maintain the cycle of hatred. It shows how the best and worst of human nature can reside everyone.
When I first saw this movie all those years ago, the first thing that I noticed was the bad English language sections. It is hard not to notice them, as the first actual scene of dialog three minutes in is all in English…and none of the three actors are native speakers. Granted, neither are the characters, but it was jarring to me all the same. I look back at it now, after having heard English being spoken in movies and television shows from Korea and movies from China and Japan. Honestly, the English in this movie is not that bad in comparison. At least not the accents. There is no mumblemouth at least. Even the actual dialog, exposition-y as it is, is not that bad, and there is little Engrish or really awkward grammar. The acting in the English scenes is…bad…but I have seen worse English-language acting in Asian entertainment from native English speakers. I had once figured that maybe the English would be better in the English dubbed version. It is not. So, take it or leave it.
It is also a little funny to note that Sophie seems so much more comfortable speaking Korean than she does speaking English. Of course, she is supposed to be from Geneva, but we never hear her speaking French. And she looks half-Swiss the way David Carradine looked have Chinese or whatever. One minor character actually asks if she really is in the Swiss military and, instead of taking out a badge or passport, she takes out a Swiss Army Knife. Perhaps that was meant as a joke. Regardless, her being half-White is simply another thing that you will have to take or leave.
One thing that is notable, however, is how she is never the love interest to any character and that possibility is never even brought up. Of course, that could be helped by the fact that she is not even in the movie during the flashback. That is probably one of the things that made this movie stick out for me. She was set up to be the protagonist of a mystery, but another protagonist emerged once the story took a turn. She eventually returns as the protagonist after the flashback, but it plays differently than it would have as a straight mystery, due to the flashback. That Sophie is not going to become the love interest of the other protagonist is made pretty clear once the flashback is over. That can be a little difficult to get a hold on, but I thought that that was a clever tactic. Honestly, I feel as if I am making this sound more complicated than it is, simply so that I do not completely spoil what you could probably figure out anyways.
Korean movies, well some of them, have a tendency to favor drama over coherence, with scenes that sometimes do not even follow their own logic. This movie has at least one, and it is pretty crucial from a dramatic standpoint. If you get stuck on how certain characters can suddenly be there or suddenly not be there, you might get taken out of the scene. There is also the issue of certain characters frequently being seen at the same place without explaining whether that is normal or not. Taken from a dramatic standpoint, though, it still works. And this movie can get quite dramatic, but it rarely goes overboard. There are a few funny moments, especially when the flashback explains some of the things stated in the first section. Overall, it is a very effective drama. And a very good movie.
Dailymotion is only occasionally reliable on my computer, but if you can get it to work, then you can watch the movie here:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xiemry_koreanmoviez-com-part-1_shortfilms
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xiemuh_joint-security-area-part-2_shortfilms
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xiemvb_joint-security-area-part-3_shortfilms
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xietkr_joint-security-area-part-4_shortfilms
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xietkw_joint-security-area-part-5_shortfilms
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xietkz_joint-security-area-part-6_shortfilms
I have had the DVD for a few years, though I forget where I got it. Maybe Amazon? Maybe Barnes & Noble? I don’t remember. I do remember seeing it available at Blockbuster, if that is still around. Regardless, I recommend it. It maybe not be a perfect film, but I really really like it.
This film is a uniquely Korean film if only for the fact that it deals with a uniquely Korean subject: the Korean Conflict. The Korean peninsula is…or was…one of the most ethnically homogenous places in the world. Korea has a long history, often told in a way that holds the people together through good times and bad times. And, yet, world events split the peninsula into two countries, which have been at war for the past sixty years. Many South Korean movies television shows that involve North Korea (at least the ones that I have seen) have been reluctant to simply paint North Korea as THE bad guy, and sometimes play up the notion that things could be different if only this or that. Brotherhood is supposed to imply togetherness, but when brothers are pitted against each other, the resulting bloodshed can be worse than in any other type of fight. And the pain can be that much more severe. How this is presented varies from story to story, and some are more successful than others. In my opinion, Joint Security Area presented it pretty simply and most effectively.
Sophie Jang has been brought to Korea’s Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission to investigate the deaths of two North Korean soldiers at the border of the two nations, the Joint Security Area. The two deaths led to a minor firefight between the two countries and accusations are flying. Sophie is tasked with finding out why the shooting happened, but both sides already have their official stories. The South accuses the North of kidnapping one of their troops, who killed the two soldiers during his escape. The North accuses the soldier of sneaking across the border and attacking the guard post. It is not long before she realizes that both sides are hiding something, and the people directly involved in the deaths share a major secret that could mean death for all of them.
And that secret? Well, I will not tell you here. I will say, though, that it is a fairly simple one. Aaand, I might have dropped a hint somewhere. So, think of the simplest answer that you can and you might be correct. But that is not really the point. The movie stops being a mystery once we enter the flashback, which takes up a significant portion of the film. It turns into more of a character piece about people and nationhood, about war and hatred, about loyalty and friendship, about trust and betrayal, about the trauma of having to do a horrible thing, about the inevitability of tragedy in a hostile world, about the lengths that people will go to protect a secret, and the lengths that people will go to maintain the cycle of hatred. It shows how the best and worst of human nature can reside everyone.
When I first saw this movie all those years ago, the first thing that I noticed was the bad English language sections. It is hard not to notice them, as the first actual scene of dialog three minutes in is all in English…and none of the three actors are native speakers. Granted, neither are the characters, but it was jarring to me all the same. I look back at it now, after having heard English being spoken in movies and television shows from Korea and movies from China and Japan. Honestly, the English in this movie is not that bad in comparison. At least not the accents. There is no mumblemouth at least. Even the actual dialog, exposition-y as it is, is not that bad, and there is little Engrish or really awkward grammar. The acting in the English scenes is…bad…but I have seen worse English-language acting in Asian entertainment from native English speakers. I had once figured that maybe the English would be better in the English dubbed version. It is not. So, take it or leave it.
It is also a little funny to note that Sophie seems so much more comfortable speaking Korean than she does speaking English. Of course, she is supposed to be from Geneva, but we never hear her speaking French. And she looks half-Swiss the way David Carradine looked have Chinese or whatever. One minor character actually asks if she really is in the Swiss military and, instead of taking out a badge or passport, she takes out a Swiss Army Knife. Perhaps that was meant as a joke. Regardless, her being half-White is simply another thing that you will have to take or leave.
One thing that is notable, however, is how she is never the love interest to any character and that possibility is never even brought up. Of course, that could be helped by the fact that she is not even in the movie during the flashback. That is probably one of the things that made this movie stick out for me. She was set up to be the protagonist of a mystery, but another protagonist emerged once the story took a turn. She eventually returns as the protagonist after the flashback, but it plays differently than it would have as a straight mystery, due to the flashback. That Sophie is not going to become the love interest of the other protagonist is made pretty clear once the flashback is over. That can be a little difficult to get a hold on, but I thought that that was a clever tactic. Honestly, I feel as if I am making this sound more complicated than it is, simply so that I do not completely spoil what you could probably figure out anyways.
Korean movies, well some of them, have a tendency to favor drama over coherence, with scenes that sometimes do not even follow their own logic. This movie has at least one, and it is pretty crucial from a dramatic standpoint. If you get stuck on how certain characters can suddenly be there or suddenly not be there, you might get taken out of the scene. There is also the issue of certain characters frequently being seen at the same place without explaining whether that is normal or not. Taken from a dramatic standpoint, though, it still works. And this movie can get quite dramatic, but it rarely goes overboard. There are a few funny moments, especially when the flashback explains some of the things stated in the first section. Overall, it is a very effective drama. And a very good movie.
Dailymotion is only occasionally reliable on my computer, but if you can get it to work, then you can watch the movie here:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xiemry_koreanmoviez-com-part-1_shortfilms
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xiemuh_joint-security-area-part-2_shortfilms
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xiemvb_joint-security-area-part-3_shortfilms
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xietkr_joint-security-area-part-4_shortfilms
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xietkw_joint-security-area-part-5_shortfilms
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xietkz_joint-security-area-part-6_shortfilms
I have had the DVD for a few years, though I forget where I got it. Maybe Amazon? Maybe Barnes & Noble? I don’t remember. I do remember seeing it available at Blockbuster, if that is still around. Regardless, I recommend it. It maybe not be a perfect film, but I really really like it.