🔸I instantly recognized that cold agony described incredibly well in the book "Human Acts" by Han Kang. In my opinion, you won't get nearly as much if you come watch this movie unprepared, not having learned at least what the Gwangju Uprising was and what the deepest scar it left on the Korean society. From the logline I expected a highly personal story of a man traumatized by the Uprising. (The main character is both mentally and physically traumatized here.) But, just as always in Korean cinema, I got the story deeply rooted in societal moods and national fate.

🔸️You simply cannot tackle the theme of that trauma if you're afraid to descend into the blood and shit it brought to the people. Lee Chang Dong isn't. Nobody is justifying Yeong Ho here. It's a very shallow perspective to express in the comments. The director just shows that his life could be different if he wasn't caught up in that massive tornado. There are hundreds and thousands of those like Yeong Ho. The Massacre and political repression destroyed the lives of those who seemed braver and stronger than him.

This is the type of movie that gets better on the rewatch when you know the context. Sure as hell I'm gonna rewatch it, and I intend to pay more attention to all the elements of this piercing ensemble.

Fantastic score. Amazing finding with the train. The actress Kim Yeo Jin from Vincenzo is so young here. I love it for her that her career is good.