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National Tragedy Becomes Personal in Director Kim's 'Crossing' (Source)
A true tale of escape from North Korea (Source)
North Koreans depicted with rare realism (Source)
'Crossing' Depicts Plight of NK Defectors (Source)
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 Director Kim Tae-gyoon looked satisfied; the anxiety and tension so apparent just a few months ago had vanished. "This is the first time that I've ever been told 'thank you' by viewers since I made my debut in 1996", he said softly, his voice cracking, in an interview with the Chosun Ilbo.
Kim's latest work, "Crossing", opens this week. Starring Cha In-pyo as a North Korean man and Sin Myeong-cheol as his son, the film delves into the dismal realities of North Korean human rights and refugees. It is a tragic drama about a man who escapes a North Korean mining village to search for medicine for his dying wife, but keeps failing to reunite with his family.
As recently as March it was unclear whether "Crossing" would get to be shown in theaters. But as glowing reports about special screenings, including one at the U.S. Library of Congress, began to spread, public attention blossomed. After viewing the film, a priest told Kim that he felt as if his conscience had experienced a "solem...| More |
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Expect some tears to well up in your eyes. "Crossing", directed by Kim Tae-gyoon, is coming out tomorrow.
The film is a desperate journey for survival. North Korean defector Yong-soo (Cha In-pyo) crosses the Tumen River, which lies on the boundary between the reclusive nation and China, to escape his brutal homeland.
There, he hopes to earn money for his frail, pregnant wife and starving son, Joon (Sin Myeong-cheol).
His original aim was to cross back to the North with some money and medicine. But before he knows it, he is joining a group of other North Koreans entering the German Embassy in Shenyang, in northeastern China, and eventually ends up in South Korea.
Yong-soo misses his family, and saves up money in the hope of going back to them. Later on, however, he finds out that his wife is already dead and that Joon is on a quest to join his father.
The story isn't fictional.
It's roughly based on the true trials of Yoo Sang-jun, an actual North Korean defector who b...| More |
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"Crossing", directed by Kim Tae-gyoon, does not shoot for a box-office jackpot as other mainstream movies do.
The production team, in fact, knows very well that the movie's serious theme - a realistic depiction of North Koreans - is unlikely to translate into big revenues.
But the movie aims high when it comes to the plight of North Koreans. Ranging from perilous border crossings to horrifying gulags to arduous resettlement in the South, the movie's realistic details are sharpened to perfection.
For North Korean defectors here, the movie means something more than a cinematic storytelling. At a special preview event in Seoul last Thursday, about 180 North Korean defectors watched the film, and many of them were crying during the screening. They seemed struck by the powerful images - scenes that inevitably bring back the dark memories of their life in the North.
"I had some doubts about this event because my movie might reopen the painful wounds inflicted on those who have de...| More |
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By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
A story that thousands of North Korean defectors share -- one of hunger, desperation and tiptoeing the fine line between life and death -- makes its way to screens this summer. South Korean director Kim Tae-gyoon brings "Crossing", a cross-border film project inspired by true accounts of survivors -- the lucky ones who lived to tell their story.
While big budget action flicks like "Typhoon" (2005) have touched upon the lives of defectors, "Crossing" is the nation's first movie entirely devoted to the matter. It is an unforgettable movie that rouses reflection upon the role of cinema and its power to take people to distant places -- after over half a century of division, the North has become perhaps the farthest place on Earth for South Korea.
The plight of the refugees is not an unfamiliar one here as TV documentaries shine upon the shaded segment of the Korean Diaspora. But "Crossing" achieves riveting, heartfelt drama, making uncomfortable tru...| More |
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In late April, Iron Man arrived in the Korean cinema, smashing the box office into very profitable pieces. In mid-May, Prince Caspian took the baton and kept up the pressure on Korean competitors. Last weekend, whip-wielding Indy joined the Hollywood-only party, roped in plenty of movie tickets sales.
The bombardment of Hollywood films dragged down the share of Korean films to a record low. But the bleak development was widely predicted since only a couple of new Korean releases were made. June might be slightly different, as eight Korean movies are set for release.
"Girl Scout", directed by Kim Sang-man, will hit theaters on June 5, featuring well-known actors such as Kim Seon-ah, Nah Moon-hee, Lee Kyeong-sil. The film will test whether the audiences still have an appetite for a chase-the-money drama with fewer funny moments than publicized.
Waiting in line for the June 12 release are four Korean films: "Life is Cool", "Beyond All Magic", "Spare" and "Like Father, Like Son". ...| More |
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