TO THE STARRY ISLAND
(GESOM E KAKO SHIPTA)
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1995 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 8.2
Shown at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema Running Length: 1:42 MPAA Classification: Not Rated (Sexual situations, violence)
Starring: Ahn Sung-Ki, Moon Sung-Keun, Shim Hae-Jin, Ahn So-Young Director: Park Kwang-su Producer: Park Kwang-su Screenplay: Im Chul-Woo, Lee Chang-Dong, and Park Kwang-su Cinematography: Yoo Young-Gil Music: Song Hong-Sup Distribution unknown In Korean with subtitles
TO THE STARRY ISLAND is as much an exercise in visual poetry as it is a thinking person's thriller. Produced in Korea, a country not known in the non-Asian world for its filmmaking, this motion picture shows the kind of cinematic gems that can be found in unexpected places. It's unfortunate that it takes film festivals to unearth this sort of motion picture; TO THE STARRY ISLAND is certainly good enough to be snapped up by a major distributor (although it's doubtful it will be).
The film opens in modern times, with Chai-Koo returning to Kwisong Island with the body of his father, Moon Pok-Bae, who had requested to be buried there. Also in the funeral entourage is Chul Kim, a respected poet who is the son of the island's once-revered teacher. All does not go well with the burial, however. The inhabitants of the island will not let Chai-Koo bring the body ashore, citing the past sins of Moon Pok-Bae which resulted in many deaths forty years ago. Thus begins an examination, told in flashback from Chul Kim's point-of-view, of actions and consequences set against the backdrop of the Korean war.
Much of TO THE STARRY ISLAND is devoted to the exploration of what everyday life was like before the pivotal event which caused Moon Pok- Bae's ostracism. We meet about a dozen Kwisong villagers, and gain insight into how they live and why they live that way. Director Park Kwang-su gives us a balanced perspective of these people that adds to the ultimate impact of a startling, gut-wrenching climax.
Many motion pictures have dealt with the effects of war on the personality of a man, and the kinds of wounds that wartime choices can cause. Kwang-su is saying that although forty years have passed, not all of Korea's battle scars are healed. Some hurts endure through time, and there is no atonement, even in death, regardless of how little responsibility the supposed villain actually bears. TO THE STARRY ISLAND is a lyrical, compelling motion picture that draws the viewer into its world of unique characters, then brings back the grimness of reality with a jolt. The themes it touches in doing so provide fodder for thought and discussion, and have meaning far beyond a single war in a small Asian country.
- James Berardinelli (jberardinell@delphi.com)
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