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Synopsis
One hot summer night, Tae-jung receives a call from Seung-young, an old junior high classmate. They were reunited when Seung-young entered the army under him. Though Tae-jung has since been discharged, Seung-young is still serving. Out on leave, Seung-young asks to meet. However, Tae-jung seems uncomfortable around him. Near the end of his army service, Tae-jung, a sergeant, took Seung-young under his wing because he was an old classmate when he entered the army as a private. Seung-young was having a hard time adjusting to army life where it is all about orders and obedience. But even as time passes, Seung-young is unable to adjust to army routine and he becomes more and more isolated from his fellow soldiers. Even Tae-jung is constantly put in an awkward spot because of him. Then Tae-jung is discharged and with it goes his safety net. So Seung-young slowly starts to change¡¦¡¦
Production & Director's Note
- Forgetting & a guilty conscience, my dilemma about masculinity
Due to mandatory army service, most adult men of Korea have experienced 26 months of army life. Under the spectrum of ¡®group macho-ism¡¯ that is the army, they were the aggressors and victims of violence and often have feelings of rage, hurt, and guilt. However, once they are discharged and return to society, most of them forget about that time or remember it after rationalizing their memories in their favor. ¡®I¡¯ am no exception to this. This story is ¡®my¡¯ story but also the story of every Korean man who carry wounds from army life. Through this film, I mean to evoke those memories that we have all tried to forget and hide. Who is right and who is wrong? This is not an individual problem. Those who hurt me, those I hurt, there is not a clear line. In between, there is some rationalization and guilty conscience mixed in. With this film, I want to express the rage we feel – not the simple rage we feel towards those who directly dealt out violence to us in the army but rather rage at a social system and structure that creates such a violent situation.
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