My Way
2011 · Directed by Kang Je-kyu
Original language: Korean
- drama
- action
- history
- war
The story
During the invasion of Normandy the photograph of a slim Korean man in German uniform was found. It transpired that the man had served as a soldier in the Japanese, Russian and German armies. His incredible story inspired director Kang Je-Gyu to create this epic war drama.
What it’s like
Sweeping, dust-choked battlefields rendered in bleached, desaturated tones, with the grime and sweat of the trenches rarely relieved by colour. Large-scale set pieces unfold in long, mobile takes, the camera sprinting alongside soldiers through Manchurian snowfields, Normandy hedgerows and Russian forest, while quieter interludes settle into tighter, more static framing and warmer lamplight. The score swells with orchestral brass and drums during the assaults and recedes to a thin, mournful strings line between them. Vibe: epic, bruised and rueful, a long haul through history rather than a cosy one. The pacing is brisk and propulsive through the battles, slower and heavier in the aftermath, and its emotional arc follows one divided man who keeps being pulled between armies and loyalties, searching for somewhere he can belong. Violence is frequent and heavy: wartime combat with shelling, gunfire, bayonet and hand-to-hand killing, some bloody wounds and a sense of mass death, though not gratuitously gory. Romance and tenderness appear in small, sincere doses. It suits viewers who want a big, weighty war epic with international scope, and a restless, tragic hero.
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