Korean trailer below:
"The Boat" (Korea/Japan, 2009, 114 mins)New York City -- Among the highlights of the local Korean American film festival was last night's screening of "The Boat" (Korea/Japan, 2009, 114 mins), directed by Kim Young-nam. Not only is it a solid feature, the project also offers a unique glimpse into cross-cultural Korean/Japanese storytelling and filmmaking.
"The Boat" features two bottom-rung smugglers -- one Korean and the other Japanese. The loners become reliant on one another, when they're tasked with kidnapping the daughter of a wealthy Korean businessman and transporting her to Japan.
It would have been easy for director Kim to turn out a generic, buddy-cop-style film. Think gangsters, alleys and dimly lit rooms. But "The Boat" is so much more, offering a journey into how we define families and friendship.
The Japanese criminal Touru (played by Satoshi Tsumabuki) is a young gangster weighed down by a senile grandmother, an inept sister with three children and a Japanese girl he can't pursue because he has no money. The Korean gangster Hyung-gu is portrayed by actor Jungwoo Ha.
His performance is so watchable and physical, reminiscent of Javier Bardem. And like the Spainish actor, Ha has the chops to carry quieter scenes with minimal if no dialogue, yet still convey an unspoken, complicated interior life. Abandoned by his mother when he was a child, Ha's character slowly is drawn to Touru and his family.
In addition to the chemistry between the two actors as they strike up an unconventional friendship, the film is anchored by a terrific script by Aya Watanabe. He's also written "Maise de Himiko" and "A Gentle Breeze in the Village." And the script is rooted in reality. Everything from disposed goods and dead bodies land on Japanese shores from Korea.
Film Industry in Korea, Japan and Hollywood
The film was a rare joint production between South Korea and Japanese filmmakers. Watanabe had penned the script and producers were shopping for a director, explained director Kim, after Sunday's screening in New York.
The film was a rare joint production between South Korea and Japanese filmmakers. Watanabe had penned the script and producers were shopping for a director, explained director Kim, after Sunday's screening in New York.
Kim said shooting wrapped in about a month under Japanese production deadlines. He added some scenes/portions of the script were edited to fit the slim shooting schedule. The film if shot solely in South Korea would have taken about two months, said Kim, adding Japanese filmmaking is akin to Hollywood with a focus on efficiency.
Below is the Japanese trailer:
"The Boat" (Korea/Japan, 2009, 114 mins)
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