Disaster films reflect nation's turbulence

Actress Moon Jung-hee is seen in a scene from "Pandora." / Courtesy of NEW

‘Stop,' ‘Pandora' show incompetence of nation's authority, control tower

By Kim Jae-heun

Disaster films were particularly popular in Korea this year with "Train To Busan" collecting over 11.5 million viewers and "Tunnel" attracting over 7 million. Train To Busan directed by Yeon Sang-ho depicts a story of zombies infected by an unknown virus attacking passengers on a Busan-bound bullet train. The zombie thriller recorded the ninth most watched film in the country. Director Kim Seong-hun's Tunnel is about a salesman surviving in a car in a collapsed tunnel for a month, hoping to be rescued. The disaster film also topped the box office for four consecutive weeks, proving to be the hot trend of the genre in the local market.

Two more disaster films have recently been released, highlighting the risks of running nuclear power plants and sending out the message that Korea needs to decrease the number of nuclear power plants.

Actor Jung Jin-young, fourth from the left, is seen as one of the rescue workers in a scene from recently released disaster film "Pandora" directed by Park Jung-woo. / Courtesy of NEW

The film "Pandora" directed by Park Jung-woo is the country's very first movie with a nuclear disaster setting in the country. Korea is hit by a severe earthquake in the southern part of the peninsula where nuclear power plants are gathered. Not only does the film shows possible disastrous scene of the damaged site but it also depicts how tragedy can get worse if the nation's president or the safety control tower are incompetent. The blockbuster starring veteran actors, including Kim Myung-min, Jung Jin-young and Kim Nam-gil, has attracted over one million audiences already in five days since its opening last Wednesday.

Japanese actors Natsako Hori, left, and Tsubasa Nakae appear as a married couple in the disaster movie "Stop," directed by Kim Ki-duk. / Courtesy of KIM KI DUK FILM

Meanwhile, Golden Lion Award winner Kim Ki-duk's new film "Stop" sticks to more realistic factors to base its story in Fukushima and Tokyo in Japan where a massive tremor actually hit the island and nuclear power plants there causing the leak of radiation. Kim cast Japanese actors and flew to Tokyo with only 10 million won ($852). Over 10 billion won ($852.5 million) has been invested in the production cost for Pandora.

"Basically the movie had to be filmed in Japan since the story takes place in Fukushima," said Kim during the trade show at CGV theater in Myeongdong, central Seoul, last Thursday. "I was in Japan for 10 days, shooting the film and I wanted to cast Japanese actors for my screen.

"Also it is about the time when I wanted to travel around the world and shoot films. I started in Japan and I was planning to work in China next, but it failed," said Kim.

Although both Pandora and Stop talk about the danger of nuclear power, Kim says his story focuses on sending out different messages from the scenario of filmmaker Park.

Filmmaker Kim Ki-duk, left, talks during the film preview at CGV Theater in Myeongdong, central Seoul, last Thursday.
/ Courtesy of KIM KI DUK FILM

"It is embarrassing to compare Stop to Pandora but my movie could have gone more viral if I had used fancy computer graphics to show the explosion of nuclear plants and a million people evacuating. But that is not possible with 10 million won," said Kim

"Pandora warns of possible nuclear accidents in the country and it wants to prevent it while Stop shows if something happens, that is the end. You have to live with it if the environment is set. My message in the movie is that we have to accept the reality," added Kim.

Kim explained that Koreans eating Japanese seafood until today is an example of people forgetting the risk of radioactive materials.

The director first decided to shoot the disaster film to remind people of the risk of nuclear power. He said the Korean government has decided to increase the number of nuclear power plants despite witnessing the deadly incident happened in Fukushima and experiencing a big earthquake in the southern part of Korea recently, which proved the country is no longer an earthquake-free territory.

"I started shooting Stop in 2014 and I learned China is building 180 nuclear power plants near its East Sea, which is West Sea for us. Korea is currently running 25 nuclear power plants. Three are in its construction process and the government has announced to build more. We have not learned a lesson from Chernobyl and Fukushima incident," said Kim.

A boy is seen in the scene from the disaster movie "Stop" released last Thursday. / Courtesy of KIM KI DUK FILM

"Italy has rid itself of all nuclear power plants and Japan has deactivated 50 out of 52 plants. I guess Japan is able to do it as they naturally practice thrifty habits," added Kim

Three Japanese actors in the film showcase said they were all aware that such a tragic movie is not a welcoming story in their homeland but still participated because of Kim's passion for filmmaking.

In response to being asked if they would bear a deformed child as married couple Natsako Hori and Tsubasa Nakae do in the movie, both said it would not be one person's responsibility to make the decision but they would not choose to have an abortion as giving birth is a blessing.

Kim directed, produced and edited Stop all alone. The film is available online and on IPTV.