Tragedy and the very worst in human nature on the high seas in this Bong Joon-ho production…
Another of the maritime-themed Korean 2014 releases, Haemoo(a.k.a. Sea Fog) marks the directorial debut of Shim Sung-bo, screenwriter of the acclaimed Memories of Murder, whose director Bong Joon-ho returns the favour by serving here as producer and co-scripter. The film was adapted from a 2007 play which in turn was based on real life events, and is a dark drama revolving around human smuggling on the high seas, headlined by award winning veteran actor Kim Yoon-seok (The Thieves) and popular television star Park Yoo-chun. Chosen as the country’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards and the 72nd Golden Globe Awards, the film also won several plaudits for its acting back at home.
The film takes place in 1998, with Kim Yoon-seok as Kang, captain of the fishing boat Jeonjiho. Having failed to land a decent catch for some time and with the threat of having the boat sold by its owner, Kang agrees to illegally transport a group of ethnic Koreans from China across the Yellow Sea. Promised a cut of the profits, the crew reluctantly agree to go along with the plan, though when the weather turns stormy and the authorities appear things soon get complicated, and it’s not long before tragedy strikes. With the ruthless Kang and the other senior members of the crew only looking out for themselves, a young ship hand called Dong Sik (Park Yoo-chun) decides to try and protect a woman called Hong Mae (Han Ye-ri, Commitment), with unpleasant consequences.
Haemoo is very much an exploration of the darker side of human nature, and without wishing to give anything away, Shim Sung-bo quite quickly sets things in motion with a series of shocking plot developments. Dong Sik aside, there’s very little in the way of kindness or decency here, Shim showing a cynical, dog eat dog view of the world, with almost all of the crew being motivated by self-interest and the worst of base desires – the grim situation on the boat aside, the film does suggest an unflattering picture of Korean society in general, and there’s certainly social criticism to be found here if looked for. The film does have the air of a play in places, though thankfully in a good way, Shim making the most of the claustrophobic setting and mining it for a feeling of being trapped, the characters having no escape from each other or their sins. The tension is successfully notched up throughout, and while the overall atmosphere of doom is unlikely to leave viewers expecting hope or happy endings, there are enough surprises along the way to hold the interest, events spiralling further and further out of control and into chaos and violence.
The film does have its flaws – Shim’s approach is more rooted in basic genre film making than Bong Joon-ho and the script is less complex and subtle thanMemories of Murder, the characters gradually being reduced to villains and stereotypes as things escalate. This criticism is deflected somewhat by the cast’s solid performances, and Kim Yoon-seok is effective in the fairly straightforward role as Kang, Park Yoo-chun impressing as the naïve Dong Sik (his work here winning him Best New Actor awards from the Blue Dragon and Daejong Film Awards, plus the Korean Association of Film Critics, marking him as a talent to watch in future). The film does work better as a thriller than anything too deep and meaningful, and Shim does well as a first time helmer, showing a strong visual sense and the ability to generate suspense while keeping things moving at a gripping pace.
Though a bit limited and during its later stages, Shim Sung-bo perhaps finding himself trapped and in search of a resolution along with his characters, Haemoo still stands as a superior and polished offering. Entertaining if depressing, it’s a striking debut, and well worth checking out.
Reviewed by: James Mudge of easternKicks
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