It all begins on a rainy and dreary day. Moon Chae-ku is transporting his father's coffin to the island he was born on for burial, fulfilling his last wish. But when the locals find out whose body is on the ship, they vehemently refuse to allow the boat to dock. Accompanying Chae-ku is his best friend, the poet Kim Chul. Taking advantage of the impasse, Kim Chul wanders around the island, also his childhood home, reminiscing about days long past. Most of the film takes place in the 1950s during the Korean War, but the isolated island by benefit of its remote location is sheltered from the conflict on the mainland. In fact, the island is not only sheltered from the war, but from modernity altogether. The islanders still live according to their ages-old traditions; their world is full of suffering, superstition, and rigid hierarchical order. But Kim Chul's childhood on the island is full of joy and exploration. His mother passed away when he was very young, and he is doted on by his loving father who is also the schoolteacher. But when troops land on the island demanding to know which side the people are on, their world is forever devastated. To the Starry Island shares some elements of Fellini's Amarcord in its tragicomic coming-of-age story, but Park Kwang-su's direction is more realist, emotionally raw, and less grotesque. There are moments of incredible magic and humanism here, and the ending leaves no hearts unbroken. Another masterpiece that has been shamefully neglected.
Comments
Post a Comment