If
this mystery man is a spy, he is extraordinarily unsubtle about it. Of course,
subtlety is not exactly a national trait associated with North Korea.
Regardless, he will not get very far in Jero Yun’s short film, Hitchhiker, which screens during the
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2017.
All
he says to the driver is: “why don’t we get a drink?” Yet, the oafish tool
panics, making a beeline for the police station instead. Still, we would
probably be put off our game somewhat if a man with a North Korean accent just
invited himself into our cars—assuming we could recognize a North Korean
accent. Frankly, the provincial coppers are a little rusty when it comes to
counter-espionage training, but they have a manual someplace. The lead
detective also has a bottle of soju handy.
Hitchhiker is the sort of
film that would like to see us all just get along, but it is also mature enough
to recognize the nature of the borders separating the North from the South, so
it spares us the lectures. Instead, it offers us and its characters a brief
respite and a fleeting human connection, but those things are not nothing.
Yun
and cinematographer Kim Byeong-il give the film a dark but warm Hopper’s Nighthawks kind of look that perfectly
suits the nocturnal ships-passing story. Kang Seok-chul is terrific as the world-weary
copper, while Lee Tae-gyu is convincingly awkward as the man with the suspicious
accent.
Although
the man never explicitly describes the situation in the North, the reason for
his presence in the South clearly holds dire implications. Still, a bit more
context would have further heightened the stakes and the poignancy. However,
Yun’s primary concern was the purity of the moment, which definitely comes
through. Recommended for viewers who can appreciate its elegantly restrained
human drama, Hitchhiker screens again
tomorrow (6/10) and Thursday (6/15) as part of the Asia & Japan program-10
at this year’s SSFF & Asia.
