Song-o

A first take, this film may seem like a Korean "Deliverance (1972)". But the real story lies in the clash between the seemingly cultured city folk and the rough and crude rural dwellers. As the film starts we see things from the city dwellers perspective as the "hillbillies" talk roughly and push the city folk around. We feel for them and hope to see them out of this hellhole and back in the city safely. Yet as things progress we see the other side of these nice people. We see their lies and their betrayals of one another. This dark side culminates in their scapegoating an innocent country boy and committing awful violence on him for their own sins.

At the screening I attended the director said it was a contrast between the polite but two-faced city folk and the rough but more honest country folk that he wanted to highlight and he does so admirably. Kudos also go to all the actors for their deep and complex performances.