JOINT SECURITY AREA

OUT 18 JANUARY / CERT 15 / 109 MINUTES

Joint Security Area can tend to fly under the radar when it comes to the lauded work of Park Chan-wook, but it’s more than just a footnote in the filmmaker’s oeuvre. A murder mystery set along the precarious line of the Korean Demilitarized Zone, which divides the Peninsula roughly in half, there’s a tragically sweet friendship at its core — the childlike enthusiasm of interactions between a group of soldiers is tinged with tragedy, with the knowledge that it won’t end well. While not quite as luridly stylish, it has all of the delightful hallmarks of Park’s later works, taking unexpected swerves in both narrative and tone — such as the grim comedy of a soldier tearfully sending away a puppy that he can’t keep, telling it to “watch out for landmines”. Joint Security Area is equally hilarious and heartbreaking in its clash of intimate male relationships and the cruelty of ‘duty’.