biweekly post #4

[Yewon Son]

One of the days that I met with my language partner this week, we watched a Korean film called “A Taxi Driver” that came out fairly recently. It was based on a true story about a Seoul taxi driver in 1980, who takes a foreign customer to a Korean town called Gwangju. He initially takes the job because he hears that the foreigner will pay an extremely high rate for the drive, but unknowingly (and unwillingly) becomes involved in the military government’s siege of Gwangju once he gets there. While at first extremely reluctant to help the Gwangju citizens fighting for freedom under the corrupt government, he eventually helps the foreigner (who turns out to be a reporter) get the truth of the crimes against humanity that were occurring in the city, out to global news networks. It was a really really good movie. I was surprised at how positive critic reviews for a foreign film were, and how well made and entertaining the film was. However, one of the most surprising elements of the film was the fact that I got so emotional watching it. There were several brutally violent scenes in the film, many of which were depicting innocent civilians being plowed through by the military during peaceful protest. While part of the grief and anger I felt from watching the movie could be attributed to the sense of injustice that the film incited, it felt like something more was happening. I think the emotions I felt were also from a sense of violated patriotism. The level of pride I felt about a country that I was not a citizen of, and the level of empathy I had for people who I was only really related to through my parents, was really surprising. I had watched historical movies about Korea before. I had watched Korean movies that were emotional before. But I had never felt this kind of wounded pride feeling before--it felt almost like a betrayal. I wondered why this feeling came about. While I’m sure part of it had to do with the sheer skill and craftsmanship of the film in portraying and conveying their message, I think this feeling of connection I had with the people and country in the film had some connection with my increased knowledge about Korea. By learning about Korea’s history and culture, and by learning more and more of the language, I had unknowingly grown more and more intimate with the country. With this newfound intimacy, I think I had also created some of my own expectations and preconceptions about Korea. While I had learned that there were military dictatorships throughout Korea’s history, I hadn’t expected such blatant corruption and abuse of power from a country that I had previously held in such high regard. I had unknowingly put Korea on a kind of pedestal as I learned more about it and became more connected to it. Because it was a country that I had really only learned about through vacations, my parents and through lessons here, I think I fashioned a very two-dimensional image of it. I assumed that Korea could only be a victim because I had heard so many stories of the injustices the people suffered under the Japanese colonization. Watching the film helped flesh out this flat picture I had of the country into one of a nation that was responsible for its own fair share of wrongs and injustices that it had committed to its people.

[Kevin Kim]

Good movie choice Yewon! I think I too felt the same while watching the movie as well. I think I felt like it made me feel more connected to Korean culture as well even though I have not been in the country for a long time. The movie also made me more interested in about the Gwangju Uprising which was the topic of my last year's cultural presentation.

[Annie Lai]

Great post Yewon! "A Taxi Driver" seems like a really interesting movie and I really enjoyed reading your analysis. I also think that learning about a country through a biased view will lead to misconceptions and expectations about that place but I also think that every country has their negative sides that are hidden really well to keep their citizens and others satisfied.