Message from jdelarme

[Anonymous]

I watched the film “JSA” over the weekend. JSA stands for Joint Security Area (The Korean title is Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok, according to internet movie database. The film was made in 2000 and is one of the most popular and widedly respected films in the history of the country. “JSA” was directed by Chan-wook Park and stared Yeong-ae Lee, Byung-hun Lee, Kang-ho Song, Tae-woo Kim and Ha-kyun Shin.
The film starts with a killing at the DMZ. The DMZ or demilitarized zone separates the two parts of the country of Korea. A North Korean soldier has been shot and a South Korean soldier has confessed to the killing. The number of bullets, don’t add up and an pair of Swiss/ Swedish investigators are in charge of determining the truth.
The plot is certainly a strong point for the film. The story is unique and well told. Without getting to much into the plot, the film involves the issue of the separate Koreas. While they are one country, the two societies and governments could not be much different. The film’s message, in the end, is wherever you live you are still Korean. The differences between a North Korean and a South Korean as a people are so small, it is the government that creates the differences.
The cinematography is amazing in the film. During a scene at the DMZ, the camera angle is directly above which put a focus on the line and how the soldiers interact with it. Other visually impressive scenes include the very first scene with the Owl and a violent shooting scene that was high on dramatic effect.
One issue English speakers would have with the film is it is, obviously, mostly in Korean. I say mostly since about 10 minutes of total dialogue (between the Westerners) is actually in English. Since the film is often driven by the action of story and not the dialogue, the subtitles are not hard to handle. In fact, most people would be surprised at how easily one gets used to them.
As far as showing this film a class there are details a teacher needs to know. It deals with the issue of the separate Koreas in a very well thought out way that students can learn from. However, there is violence in the film. The amount of blood and gore is probably that of a typical American action film staring Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone. Most 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students would not be offended or surprised at the violence. Besides the violence, there is brief nudity shown. The troops briefly look through a magazine that specializes in naked women. That portion of the film is probably 5 seconds.

As far as availability, it is moderately difficult to acquire. It is not at blockbuster or Hollywood video. If you, however, live in an area with a fair share of Korean-Americans then its very likely you can find it at a mom and pop video store that specializes in Asia films.[Edit by="jdelarme on Jun 15, 12:18:26 AM"][/Edit]