JSA – Joint Security Area (Korea, 2000)

The movie takes place in the Joint Security Area, which is the only place where North and South Korea actually connect, the border being the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where there is no contact whatsoever betwee the two Koreas. Suffice it to say it is not a place to start any trouble.

Soldiers are killed in the North Korean guard post, apparently attacked by Southern soldiers. There are casualties on both sides and following the shots fired, back up arrives to shoot at each other some more. Following the fight, a neutral investigator is called in to figure out exactly what happened. Time is very important because such an outburst could start a war. And telling more would spoil it.

The movie feels like a statement. Something in the line of people are basically good and would get along fine if they weren’t told what and how to think. It gives a vision of hope.

Park Chan-Wook made an excellent film with a delicate subject like JSA. It could have easily been pathetic and heavy, but he wrote and directed it in a way that makes the audience interested and entertained without having to make it feel depressed. Not an easy feat.

It might feel a little slow, but the pace is perfect fur the story told. And don’t expect too much action either, it is much more about the investigation and the reasons behind what happened that brought the first gun shots.

An excellent movie.

Gog