Dangerously Excited <나는 공무원이다> / 2012

Directed by: Koo Ja-hong / 구자홍
Release date: July 2012

Mr. Han is a civil servant in the Mapo district office, working and living in Hong-dae—the clamorous and glamorous center of nightlife for the youth of Seoul. He prides himself on his uneventful lifestyle: off to work and back to home again at the same time every day, never losing his temper with the most unreasonable complaints that come into his office, and evenings spent enjoying TV at home. His life may be repetitive and dull, but that’s the way he likes it. One day, this straight-laced public official will meet up a spirited indie band. The band and the official are repeatedly thrown together, first testing Han’s temper like never before, and then Han begins to change.

A well-crafted film, from beginning to end, with some nice, edgy, indie camera work. The film is driven by music, wacky humor, and the idea that people can change and that change can be awesome!  

My take: 5 stars!

An old dog learns new musical tricks,

with a little help from his new friends

(Yoon Je-moon, Seo Hyeon-jeong, and Seong Joon).

U.F.O. 2012

Directed by: Kong Quee-hyun / 공귀현
Release date: May 2012

High-school student Soon-kyu is kind of gentle and moony and fairly naïve. As class president, things take a strange turn for him when he and three of his more misfit classmates catch sight of a UFO. The four set off for a mountain famous for its UFO sightings. Upon arrival, a local high-school girl, Ji-hyun, tells them to clear off and go back to Seoul, but it only eggs them on. Thanks to some heavy drinking on the mountain, Soon-kyu blacks out. Eventually, all four are hauled into the police station for questioning as the high-school girl, Ji-hyun, has disappeared. Their story is that they were abducted by aliens in the mountains, all except for Soon-kyu who can’t remember a thing.  He will return to the mountain, seeking his own answers for what took place that night.

Very well filmed and acted. The filmmaker has one wondering why this film was not categorized as science fiction … until the shocker ending. I would have preferred a bit more explanation for how it all went down, but that is just my preference; the director left some motivations as a mystery.  

My take: 4 stars

The four students at the police station being questioned

about the girl’s disappearance, still insisting they have been

on a space ship the whole time (Kim Chang-hwan,

Park Sang-hyeok, Jeong Yeong-gi, Lee Joo-Seung).