Yong-soo is an ex-soccer player who lives in a small coal-mine village in North Korea with his wife and young son, Joon. Although living in extreme poverty like many other families in North Korea, the family is happy just to be with each other. Then one day, Yong-soo's pregnant wife becomes critically ill. Let alone medicine, Yong-soo can't even find food for her in North Korea. So he decides to secretly cross the border to China hoping to find the medicine for his wife.
Acting
Shin Myeong-cheol's child performance destroys you
Direction
Kim Tae-gyun's restraint makes devastation land harder
Cinematography
Bleak landscapes that mirror bureaucratic cruelty
Director
Kim Tae-gyun
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot near the actual Tumen River border; extras included real defector brokers.
Released during South Korea's 'Sunshine Policy' era, making its bleakness politically pointed.
KR
