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‘Tunnel’ aims to rediscover value of life
Director Kim Seong-hun’s latest film juxtaposes will to survive, limits of human compassion
The all-too-realistic nature of director Kim Seong-hun’s upcoming summer thriller “Tunnel” may leave a bitter taste in the audience’s mouth.
Centered around one man’s fight for survival after a tunnel collapse, the film holds a mirror up to societal and political shortcomings that pervade all organizations.
Scene from upcoming film “Tunnel” (Showbox) |
Reported to be the only victim and survivor of the disaster, Lee manages a few rushed phone calls to the outside world, including his desperate, yet cautiously hopeful wife Se-hyun, played by Bae Doo-na.
Returning to a Korean film for the first time since starring in 2014’s “A Girl at My Door,” Bae is a refreshing reminder that body language and facial expressions often speak louder than words.
Scene from upcoming film “Tunnel” (Showbox) |
Making futile attempts at self-rescue, Lee sustains himself on a dwindling cake-and-water diet, and, perhaps more importantly, humor. This juxtaposition is what the director refers to as “ironic humor.”
“If a film is too serious, it makes the audience uncomfortable. If it’s too comic, then it compromises suspense and reality,” said Kim during an interview at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. “Laughter sustains the plot in a tragedy.”
Despite rarely appearing all together in the film, Ha, Oh and Bae exhibit an undeniable chemistry that is consistently palpable and carried well throughout the movie.
Scene from upcoming film “Tunnel” (Showbox) |
However, in contrast to the filmmaker’s commitment to depicting the intricacies of the rescue process and true-to-life representation of the regulatory and bureaucratic failings of modern society, the movie’s rushed conclusion, which plays too much by the book, leaves a lot to be desired.
While “Tunnel” clearly strives to question the government’s moral compass and priority, that is not the director’s ultimate mission.
“In the end, the takeaway is very simple,” said Kim. “It’s about the unrelenting will to survive and recognizing the value of life”
Part thriller, part tear-jerker, “Tunnel” is set to open in local theaters on Aug. 10.
From left: Oh Dal-su, Bae Doo-na, director Kim Seong-hun and Ha Jung-woo pose at a press conference held at the CGV theater in Apgujeong-dong, Seoul on July 7. (Showbox) |