lettucel0rd!
Joint Security Area
Avg 3.8
May 11, 2024.
“Here, the peace is preserved by hiding the truth.” “After hearing comrade all the time, it's nice to be called brother.” I love a good nonlinear storyline, but I understood this one better during the second watch. Rewatching it didn't take away from the emotional parts of the film; for me, the end scene hit just as hard as the first time I watched it. I think there is something to be said here about the significance of location. the area around the "bridge of no return" is not only a "neutral" zone, but also a place where loyalties/divisions don't have to exist -- of course, all four of the characters remind each other of their North/South alignment and the wrongdoings of their respective countries (after which things get much more tense), but for the most part, they can forget; they don't have to identify themselves as North or South. Ironically, it's when they are interrogated by the neutral Swiss/Swedish forces that they are forced to identify/align with these loyalties and take on the hate that comes with it. This movie is so much more than a story about brotherhood; there are so many other political and historical factors at work here that make this movie so interesting to me. also i enjoy park chan wook's style, so there's that.