About This Film
By now, most people who deal with Korean cinema would have heard about the infamous Gwangju Massacre, which has featured in a number of films, particularly during the last two decades. Before this incident, however, there was another one equally heroic and equally bloody that took place in the same area. On November 3, 1929, 54,000 students joined the Gwangju Student Independent Movement against Japanese Imperialism and marched against their oppressors. Many were injured, killed and tortured in prison. “Nameless Stars” is dedicated to them and tells the story of the movement by focusing on a group of students from a particular school.
Synopsis
Sang-hoon, the son of a patriot who also struggled for independence, is a member of the anti-Japanese group named “Seonjinhoe”, which is opposed to Japanese rule. The group members, which also include members from other schools, have secret meetings inside a tavern owned by a Chinese couple, who has given them a hidden room in the second floor. Yeong-ae, whose brother works for the Japanese government and is highly strict with any kind of protest, is inspired by Sang-hoon's words and eventually joins the “council”. As a teacher in their school is repeatedly punished for teaching the victories of the Korean army against the Japanese during the Joseon era, and the Japanese students act as bullies even against girls and the elderly, the sentiment of injustice and a will to retaliate becomes more and more intense in the students' body. An unfair baseball game leads to violence between the two groups and adds more fuel in the fire, which eventually, cannot be contained at all.
