*Castaway on the Moon is a part of CUEAFS's Udine Far East Film Festival 12 coverage. The review has been produced for CUEAFS and our partners Cine-Vue
 Alternative title: Kimssi Pyoryugi
Written and directed by: Hae-jun Lee
Starring Jae-yeong Jeong and Ryeo-won Jeong
A tale of undying hope and the inexplicable connection between two lives that overcomes distances and changes the world is delivered by young and promising South Korean director Hae-jun Lee in his Castaway on the Moon. Through a brilliant mixture of genres that avoids being too serious and digging too deep into painful reality is how Castaway on the Moon transcends the world into a more beautiful place, the metaphorical 'on the moon', and leaves a long-lasting feeling of fragility and the beauty of love, hope and life itself.
Kim is a desperate ‘unhopeful’ worker in serious debt who has reached the decision to jump off a bridge and end his misery. But fate has a different plan for him, as the waters of Han River throw him out on a small island, detaching him from civilisation. As he realises there is no way out, for he has never learnt to swim, he considers hanging himself on his tie. But life seems different on this side of the world and he slowly begins to adapt to the island, whilst thinking 'I guess I could die later'. As he embarks upon an emotional, sometimes sad, sometimes hilarious journey of re-building his life with hope, he discovers his presence on the island hasn’t gone unnoticed. Female Kim, who has not left her room in three years, for an unknown reason, irrelevant to the plot, has been observing him and his struggle for life through her camera lenses and his extraordinary existence impresses her to such an extent, that she leaves her room in order to communicate with him through messages in a bottle.
If the viewers were to compare Castaway on the Moon to Robert Zemeckis’s from 2000, starring Cast AwayTom Hanks, in their search for a tale of the incredible human strength and the ability to survive in unimaginable circumstances, they would not find this concept here, although the film seemingly tells the same story. What they could find is the vibe from Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s Thailand drama Last Life in the Universe from 2003, which tells the story of two people helping each other to find a purpose to their meaningless existences. But even then they wouldn’t have the whole story.
The film’s most touching and deepest meaning lies within the idea of undying hope, which a human being can find in the most impossible circumstances, without even having been looking for it. A story about one person’s search of hope which is so inspirational that is able to change another person’s life from the greatest of distance. A story about the human condition and the ease with which desperation could be born within, but also about the strength of the human spirit not to survive on a deserted island, but to survive in his darkest of state and to find meaning and hope where there seemingly isn’t any.
A successful try from young director Hae-jun Lee, who impressed audiences with his debut film Like a Virgin in 2006. Both characters are sketched so beautifully and honestly, their ‘un-understandable’ strange behaviours make the audience feel compassionate and hopeful for their happy endings. The film isn’t short of emotion and even a few tears are shed when male Kim finally eats the black bean noodles (which he had described as hope) or when he is escorted from the island and unable to receive the replies. The sad note is brilliantly interwoven with the hilarious moments and the audience couldn’t help but laugh out loud when Kim is trying to build a fire.
A beautiful and touching story, situated between real life and fantasy, built on the lack of dialogue between two tender souls and their fragile existences. The cinematography is fresh and almost fantastical, whilst the score by Hae-jun Lee’s first film composer Hong-jip Kim only adds up to a marvellous experience. Castaway on the Moon is a must-see for everyone for the deep and meaningful concepts within, in which the audience can find different truths for themselves; for the simplest and most honest fragile human existence, the ability to receive joy and hope from the smallest of things, such as a piece of paper in a green bottle…
*Image source:
http://www.avistaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/castaway.jpgLabels: cueafs, east asian film, far east film, feff, festival, movie reviews, udine |
