A Taxi Driver

1980. The movie starts harmless. A widowed taxi driver in Seoul struggling to make ends meet for himself and his little daughter. He more or less wants to do the right thing in a country where circumstances aren't all that well but you can live your life. The movie pulls a few heartstrings here and there but never too much. It is surprisingly tactful and the director wisely steps back from the story and lets good actors paint a picture of everyday life.

Enter a German reporter who smells a good story after being tipped off by a BBC colleague who tells him that the generally tense situation in South Korea somehow got worse recently. He needs a driver and the taxi driver needs the money. It is a relation out of necessity and neither of them actually seem to take a liking to each other.

Both soon have to come to terms with the fact that they put themselves into a situation which has great relevance to their country and their professions. Turning away just isn't possible. "Doing the right thing" means that an average person has to find extraordinary courage.

I have to commend the director and his actors for this eyewitness feeling. It is almost like you're another passenger sitting in that little taxi. You don't watch a movie but you are actually there as it happens. The fact that I was largely ignorant of those events in history makes this movie even more significant.

The end result is a movie which is well-directed, with competent acting and impressive camera work. I had very little to criticize but a lot to think about when I left the show and that -to me- often is the sign of a truly good movie. Go see it!