A bleeding man, a rifle, and 50 years of Korean trauma hiding in one cave.
A man wanders around the mountains with a bleeding leg, holding a rifle in his hand. Seemingly a fugitive, he runs from as-yet unknown pursuers, but he also seems to be following somebody who has already walked the same path. As he hides in a secluded cave, past memories sweep through his exhausted mind, memories of lifelong cowardice and evasion. And this recollection leads to a reconstruction of early 20th century Korean history. Winner of Best Picture (Nam-a Pictures Co., Ltd.), Best Actor (Ha Myung-joong), Best Art Direction (Kim Yoo-joon), Best Lighting (Son Young-cheol) at the 14th Grand Bell Awards. (source: Jiro Hong, koreanfilm.org)
Direction
Yu Hyun-mok turns a cave into a cathedral of guilt.
Cinematography
Mountain landscapes that swallow human suffering whole.
Acting
Ha Myung-joong's exhaustion feels earned, not performed.
Director
Yu Hyun-mok
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released during Park Chung-hee's authoritarian rule, the film's critique of collaboration cleverly disguised itself as historical drama to evade censorship.
Yu Hyun-mok shot the cave scenes in actual Korean mountain locations so remote the crew had to carry equipment on foot for hours.
KR
