[선넘는 콘텐츠] 〈14〉 Comparison of the original work of the movie ‘I Hate Korea’
Instead of the original ‘hell train’ commute and sexual harassment, it contains the joys and sorrows of skyrocketing housing prices and long-distance commuting.
Maladjustment is also dealt with significantly in ‘Unfamiliar Land’… Reflecting a different perspective from ‘Hell Joseon’ in 2015
Before the sun rises, it is pitch-black dawn. I get on a green village bus already packed with people. I get off after 12 stops. I get on subway line 1. I transfer to subway line 2 at Sindorim Station. I get off at Gangnam Station after another 12 stops. There is no room to step in the company elevator. I finally reach the seat with the title of “assistant manager,” take off my coat, and sigh. It feels like I am not going to work, but rather heading to hell.
The movie ‘I Hate Korea’, which opens on the 28th, is the story of ‘Gye-na’ (Go Ah-sung), a woman in her late 20s, who leaves Korea, leaving her job and family behind in search of happiness. It is based on the novel of the same name (pictured) published in 2015 by author Jang Kang-myeong.
In the novel, Gye-na lives in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. She takes subway line 2 from Ahyeon Station to her company at Yeoksam Station. It takes about an hour to travel 22 stops by subway. In the novel, Gye-na laments the “hell train” by saying, “It’s so hard that my body is stuck, my collarbone hurts.”
“Every time I ride Line 2, I think about it. What sins did I commit in my past life?”
On the other hand, in the movie, Gye-na lives in Incheon. She transfers twice to go to work. The commute time has increased to two hours. It seems to reflect the problem of skyrocketing housing prices, which became a social issue while the novel was being made into a movie. It maximizes the hardships of long-distance commuters who were forced out of Seoul.
The novel devotes a lot of space to explaining why Gye-na must leave Korea. It critically sheds light on the vertical structure of Korean society, which emphasizes that enduring sexual harassment at work and receiving unfair instructions is a virtue. It also directly reveals how difficult life is as a woman in Korea, saying, “I’ve seen many girls who were smart when they were students become fools when they stay at home.”
On the other hand, the film also shows the figures of those who are unable to adapt to a foreign land. Through the scene where Sang-woo (Park Sung-il), who obtained permanent residency in New Zealand, is frustrated with his life in New Zealand at night with nothing to do and always dreams of the day he will return to his home country, it shows that leaving Korea does not guarantee happiness. Through the scene where Ji-myeong (Kim Woo-gyeom), Gye-na’s ex-boyfriend, successfully finds a job in Korea and lives in a clean officetel, it shows that those who remain in Korea are not trapped in misery or sadness.
The film’s perspective on Korean society is different from the original work, reflecting the current Korean public’s perspective, which is quite different from when the word “Hell Joseon” was popular in 2015. This is why, at the press conference on the 23rd, Director Jang Kun-jae said, “I didn’t try to romanticize New Zealand” and actress Ko Ah-sung said, “I wish there were people who had the same opinion as ‘Ji-myeong’.”
Instead, the film focuses on ‘survival’. As Director Jang said, “We live in hell in our own positions. ‘We have to survive’, ‘We have to survive’ is the message we want to convey,” whether we are men or women, young or middle-aged, aren’t we all ultimately struggling to survive?
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Reporter Lee Ho-jae [email protected]
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2024-08-28 04:20:38