A review of Jong chak yeok
Four young schoolgirls who are part of a photography club are given the task of taking a photo of the end of the world with old-fashioned cameras over their summer vacation. They come up with the idea to drive to the end of a train line to take the photos there. But the trip turns out differently than planned, as the end of the train line doesn’t really look like the end of the world. Thus, their trip extends throughout the day, and the four friends wander through rural Korea – laughing, persistent, and inquisitive.
Jong chak yeok is one of those kinds of films that – festival goers and skilled strays of the film landscape aside – most people are unaware of. Films with no real structure, no certain points in character development to check off, no real goal – a film that simply tells a story of life. Here, unlike other representatives of this type of films, still equipped with a certain principle, a supposed end point, the film shuttles along, managing to entertain simply through its playful simplicity and its lively main characters. In this case, it is also only diminishedly about moving the viewer emotionally – even if the film could evoke feelings of melancholy and memories of balmy summer days for some – but to simply let him participate in a day in the life of the protagonists.
© Tiger Cinema & DGC
This simplicity becomes the film’s greatest advantage. Thus, it always manages to entertain throughout its rather short running time. This is partly due to the refreshingly real dialogues, as well as the believable acting of all the child actors. Here it’s not important to be able to identify with any of the characters, it’s not important to be emotionally invested in the story, the important thing is to sit back and get into what’s on offer. When you do so, you get exactly the blooming fresh dialogues you expect. And that’s when Jong chak yeok will appeal to you the most.
Because if you tune in for relaxed, calm and comfortable entertainment without a lot of melodrama, without any conflicts and without any background music, that’s exactly what you’ll get back. The film does not play with expectations and does not try to trick the viewer in any way. Quite the opposite, the film gives you exactly what you are hoping for in a heartfelt, young-feeling manner. With nice ideas, such as not withholding the taken photos from the viewer, out the back also thought-provoking conversations that manage to capture the atmosphere in such somewhat heavy topics well and equipped with an eye for the small details, Jong chak yeok sets off through unknown land and delivers comfortable, fresh and simple feel-good cinema. In an open-air cinema, among people and hopefully with the slowly setting sun in the back, the film should then be able to unfold its complete effect – to evoke pleasant memories.
