Haeundae / Tidal Wave / 해운대

Synopsis

Located on the southeast tip of the Korean peninsula is the international city of Busan. A popular vacation spot on the East Sea coast, Haeundae draws one million visitors to its beaches every year. Man-sik, a native of Haeundae, lost a co-worker to a tsunami on a deep-sea fishing trip four years ago. He has never returned to sea ever since. He now leads a simple life running a small seafood restaurant and is preparing to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Yeon-hee. Man-sik’s brother Hyung-sik works as a coast guard. One day, he rescues a female college student from Seoul who promptly, comes on to him aggressively. While these everyday domestic affairs unfold, geologist Kim Hwi, an expert on tsunami research, discovers the East Sea is showing signs of activity similar to the Indian Ocean at the time of the 2004 tsunami. Despite his warnings, the Disaster Prevention Agency affirms that Korea is in no harm of being hit. When he discovers a mega-tsunami is headed straight for the Korean peninsula, he quickly heads down to Haeundae. There he meets up with his ex-wife, who is organizing a cultural event, for the first time in seven years. He also sees his young daughter who is unaware that he is her father. Eventually, Kim gets a call about a deadly oncoming wave, with only ten minutes to spare! While the vacationers and citizens of Busan are enjoying a peaceful, hot summer day, a mega-tsunami is headed straight for Haeundae at 500 miles per hour.

 Review

At over 11 million admissions, Koreans’ have clearly taken to this film, but does this mega-hit live up to all the hype? I guess the answer to this question depends on what your preferences are. If you are after a film that is intellectually stimulating and full of depth, the answer is a big no, but if you looking to sit down, crack open a beer and enjoy a compelling disaster film, you won’t be disappointed – in fact, as the credits roll, you will go straight back to the DVD menu and start watching it all over again.  Some may cringe at the thought, but I have always been partial towards good disaster films. But at the same time, however, one of the reasons I have become so infatuated with Korean cinema is largely through their extraordinary ability to make films that are fiercely complex and thought provoking. But this is a disaster movie – who am I kidding, right? 

The film takes an hour or so before the tsunami hits. For some, this could be frustrating, but director Yoon is clearly making an endeavour to build some rapport amongst the characters and its audience; and so, the first 60 minutes introduces these very interesting and conflicting personalities. Whilst some are from different walks of live, most of them are interlinked in way or another. Yoon apparently spent years on the script getting it right and hence the 60 minute build up. It is very effective and while some will criticize the film for being light, it compensates the lack of depth with eye catching visual effects and an enthralling storyline.

Laying the foundation for Yoon is not only about introducing characters and building the tension, but also a way to expose the divisions of class, even if it is done in a superficial manner. Yeon-hee, who is an orphan and reliant on Man-sik, her boyfriend and Eok-jo for support, together with other small characters or cameos, illustrate the difficulties faced by those in the lower classes. The middle-upper class are signified through the geologist, Kim hwi, his ex-wife, Yoo-jin, and Eok-jo. But as the disaster strikes, it doesn’t matter if you are affluent, or if you are in financial need, the wrath of the tsunami will kill those in its path.

"while some will criticize the film for being light, it compensates the lack of depth with eye catching visual effects and an enthralling storyline"

The performances are, for the most part, absolutely superb. Seol Kyeong-gu (설경구), is as faultless and convincing as ever as he converses in a very authentic Busan dialect. So too does Ha Ji-won (하지원), who sounds like a completely different person. Uhm Jung-hwa (엄정화) continues to bewilder me as she seemingly acts in any role that comes her way. Park Joong-hoon (박중훈), however, appeared to feel a little uncomfortable. Although his performance wasn’t exactly poor by anyone’s standards, compared to his heyday in the 80s, or even more recently in Radio Star / 라디오 스타, he lacked the conviction and intensity he once delivered to the screen.

One of Yoon’s greatest strengths is his humour and for the first hour, there is plenty to keep you giggling, or in some cases, laugh out load. There is a particularly humorous scene when Man-Sik’s brother, Hyoung-sik, a live-guard who goes out to save Hee-mi, but as he tries to save her, she grabs his head, he then hits her and as he tries resuscitate her on the boat afterwards, she goes in for the kill. He ends up with a bitten lip and she ends up with a black eye.  Very entertaining and extremely humorous. The pair provide the film with much its Korean wittiness, which is a perfect mix of slapstick and dry humour.

The visual effects are very impressive despite one or two scenes where more work needs to be done. For the most part, the effects are no different to that of Hollywood’s The Day After Tomorrow and given that Haeundae was made on the fraction of the budget, the Korean film industry is perpetually raising the bar when it comes to the standard and the sophistication of films that are being made. My only quibble is that given the long build up, some may expect the disaster scenes to last longer than they did. It was over in remarkably quick fashion. The film then turns to the aftermath as the film draws to a close. At around 100 minutes, it is surprisingly short for a Korean film, but I have noticed the original version is 129 min – perhaps there is an international version. Films are often edited for international audiences. The Good, The Bad, The Weird / 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈 is an example of this.

The cast and director

While it may not have the wealth of depth and meaning as Korea’s most recent record breaking blockbuster -The Host / 괴물 - it is, nevertheless, very entertaining, humorous and at times, tragic. Furthermore, due to the success of these blockbusters – this all began in the late 90s as the Korean film industry emulated Hollywood through films like Shiri /쉬리– it means the market share for local films go up and the foreign share, including Hollywood, goes down. In effect, it has beaten Hollywood at their own game and this film is a strong illustration of this. 

* * * *

Jason Bechervaise

Related Articles: Upcoming Films.

A Bloody Aria / 구타유발자들

Won Sin-yeon’s (원신연) skill lies in the gradual building of tension throughout the film, which turns darker by the scene. And before long, you are left wondering how much further this can go. For me, Won Sin-yeon’s skill turns to genius when he makes full use of the limited space (most of the film takes place at a riverside) and uses his minimalist approach to drive out the necessary performances;  each of whom provide a rare balance of humour and nail-biting tension with elements of horror.  Whilst no performance stands out as such, it is yet another terrific display of acting from Korea.

I don’t want to ruin the film with spoilers, but I would add that there is a clear social critique going on in the film. References to the army (this is mandatory in Korea for all men) appear throughout the film, as does the subject of bullying, which is an ongoing issue in the army. Won also questions the notion of morality and seems to suggest that individuals from all sectors of society; be it the drop-outs that society has thrown out, or people in respected professions; they are all subject to immorality in one shape or form. Won does also seem to point out that whilst society does lie at the heart for some of the issues, personal choice is also a big factor in these issues. This is illustrated quite strongly in the fact that In-Jeong doesn’t seem to be coerced in taking a trip with the professor, but rather agrees to go. However, of course, problems with society do play a part in personal choices.

Although not the most stylistic feature you will see, especially when compared to Won’s later film, Seven Days / 세븐 데이즈, the focus on depth and tension results in an extremely compelling feature. I only wish he had brought some of this to Seven Days, which goes to the other extreme. His minimalist approach could easily be translated as a piece of theatre, which makes the film all the more interesting. This is a terrific film in every sense of the word and forgive me for being frank, but you would be a fool to miss this.

* * * * * 

Jason Bechervaise