Austin Lieber
Professor Bates
East Asian Cinema
3/7/14
Target Acquired
Hyun Mok Yoo’s The Aimless Bullet beckons to be called nothing less than a
South Korean realism masterpiece. Anybody looking for a truly reflectionist film will
find total satisfaction with The Aimless Bullet. This classic film capitalizes on the
impoverished lifestyle of the average South Korean post Second Republic rising. Despite
the limitations and financial hardships the time period presented, Yoo funded the
majority of this movie out of pocket. He has quite the background in Korean film, having
produced many others in earlier years (in total 40). Yoo is known as one of the more
poignant directors in South Korean cinema for his realist style; which translates the
zeitgeist of the nation to the audience. He makes it clear that The Aimless Bullet is set
after the Korean War when society was recovering. Yoo has Kim Jin-kyu star as Chul
Ho, the eldest brother and provider for his impoverished family. His brother, Young-Ho,
is played by Choi Moo-ryong. Yoo effectively portrays the two different lifestyles of the
brothers and how they struggle to provide both money and happiness for their shared
family. This film was so accurate to the time period it was banned in South Korea. That
being said I would recommend this film to any lover of classic East Asian Cinema,
especially if they’re interested in realist and reflectionist films.
This postwar mellow-drama starts off by showing one of Young-Ho’s war
buddies drunkenly stammering out of a bar with his crutches. Showing us that he is a war
veteran, Young-Ho’s character is given extensive depth in that battle carries a heavy
burden. As we follow Young-Ho back to his ramshackle house, Yoo introduces us to his
family, a truly sorry sight. His niece asks him for gifts he cannot provide; which is a
reoccurring theme of the movie. Chul-Ho is the only member of the family with a job; the
financial burdens of the house, as well as the majority of the household responsibility, fall
on him. In this way, Yoo spares the audience no details as to what life was like during
this postwar time period. The plot, being realistic, although surprisingly depressing, is
unoriginal in its demeanor. However, despite the number of postwar East Asian films that
center around the family life, this film articulates more clearly the complexities and
hardships that surround it.
As the viewer gets further into the movie, he or she will continue to see the
reoccurring main theme of the film: poverty and the misery of a family, if not treated
with sacrifice, will lead to the dissociation of the family. Young-Ho made the largest
dent in his family because he sacrificed everything, leaving everyone worse off. Yoo
attempts to demonstrate to the viewer, repeatedly, that there is a balance between how
much utility a family member serves, and how much they take from their family. Yoo
made this film in such a way that the audience can wholeheartedly empathize with each
characters situation. By doing this, Yoo helps the audience develop a deeper connection
to the movie.
As stated previously, Hyun Mok Yoo is a prominent director in South Korean
realism, which is supported by his use of the camera in this film. If one were to pay
attention to framing in this film and how the subject distance and position on screen
relays certain messages, they would find that the camera brings the themes to light. The
camera makes the story as realistic as it can be. Yoo relies on many low angle shots to
make the audience feel inferior, and conversely high angle shots to make the audience
feel superior to the subject. Combining this with the shot distance, the audience will
empathize more with the characters on screen.
Overall, I would recommend this film for a lover of East Asian cinema, especially
if they’re interested in reflectionism or realism. Sparing no details, Yoo opens the door to
the life of a disheveled post-war family. Even though there are many movies whose plots
focus on post-war East Asian families, this movie so crisply illustrates the life of each
family member and the role they play in each other’s lives. Yoo’s artistic use of the
camera only further helps to make the movie seem more realistic and reflective of its time
period. I would rate this film a 7.5/10 because of how hard it is to sit through. I enjoyed
this film, but it’s very depressing and hard to watch at times. It is still a cinematic
masterpiece, just not one that I particularly cared for.
Sources:
Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing about Film. US: Pearson, 2012. Print.
Yoo, Hyun M. "The Aimless Bullet." YouTube. YouTube, 01 May 2012. Web. 07 Mar.
2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S3srD7qx9c>.
"Obaltan." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053577/?ref_=ttexrv_exrv_tt>.