At exactly the halfway point of the film, there is an uninterrupted 4 minute shot of Hae-mi played by actress Jeon Jong-seo, where she takes her top off and dances in front of the South Korean flag looking at the horizon, and it’s my favorite shot from the whole film.
The scene is set up a few minutes earlier when both Ben and Hae-mi gives a surprise visit to Jong-su at his house, which is located at the outskirts of the city. Upon arriving they state how close they are to North Korea and that it’s just around the horizon. They also mention how they can hear the North Korean propaganda through the radio because of their proximity. After chatting for a bit, they decide to get high and they all share a joint. A moment of silence.. and the shot begins.
In my eyes, this shot, this exact 4 minute long shot represents the striking contrast between South and North Korea. Two countries that share a common name and a common border, yet are worlds apart. This movie is in no way political, but I can’t help but feel the message being shown. South Koreans have every bit of freedom the rest of the world enjoys, yet right across the hill there’s North Korea where people have little to no freedom in expressing themselves.
The shot begins with her taking her top off and dancing while facing the horizon. She then shows a dove flying out of her hands, which may be interpreted as the freedom enjoyed by South Koreans. The shot continues with her dancing and expressing herself while the camera brings the South Korean flag in and out of the frame, which further hammers down the underlying message. Equally, I have to mention 2 other things, firstly the soundtrack used here is amazing. It’s a jazz tune that slowly creeps in that invokes a feeling that is hard to describe. Secondly it is beautifully shot with the orange sunset as the backdrop. The shot ends with her crying, which in my opinion says she’s unhappy even after having all this freedom, this has more to do with the story and not the overarching message of the shot. Finally as she goes out of frame, we get almost a minute of silence where the camera pans over the hills, leaving us with just our thoughts and then finally cuts off.
