“Finding My Gundam” is the type of short one has to lower their expectations for before even considering watching. That is not to say the end product is bad, far from it, but there is only so much that can be achieved in ten-minutes, and very little that can be done in generic locations. Nevertheless, Shin Min-ju's 2013 release is still healthily palatable for even the most straight-laced viewer, thanks to a buoyant narrative which excels in unabating feel-good moments, no matter how cliche.
Central to proceedings is Hyun-dong (Ryu Jun-yeol), an anxiety-riddled post-adolescent who spends all of his time in the comfort of his apartment, well away from any kind of human contact. In his spare time he collects, and builds, Gundam robot toys, wholly content with wasting away his days. That is forced to change suddenly, though, when Hyun-dong finds himself thrust into the outside world following a lazy delivery worker's failed attempt at gliding a package to his door, and a flopped endeavour to keep the aforementioned door (one he cannot remember the passcode to) open with his bare feet as he fetches his latest figurine. Thus, Hyun-dong must now navigate his way through the city to get back to his apartment, and face the very places he had spent unthinkable time hiding away from.
Although rather screwy to an almost frustrating degree at first, “Finding My Gundam” swiftly settles into a comfortable, humorous look at one man's experience with crippling anxiety. Things such as the incessant use of the sun visor to ensure that nobody can make eye contact with the protagonist are hyperbolic, sure, but at the same time help mould an accessible look at a genuinely debilitating mental illness. Furthermore, despite its breakneck 10-minute runtime, Shin packs a hearty amount of character development into his short, allowing Hyun-dong to go from a wry, cowardly young adult to someone unafraid of sticking up for those being bullied, or asking for help when he so evidently needs it. They are small, inconsequential steps for many, but for someone who the audience saw as ludicrously desperate to avoid leaving the four-walls of his apartment, this progress is inarguably meaningful.
Continuing, Ryu Jun-yeol does extremely well in playing the protagonist, particularly given it was his acting debut. His stuttered line delivery gives an air of sympathy to his role, and despite some occasionally exaggerated facial expressions, the overriding restlessness of his depiction is fitting for someone so terrified of the world around him. In the same vein, his boyish personality astutely draws compassion from the audience, particularly during a scene in which he becomes entangled with a high-school student, with his juvenility making him feel decidedly hapless.
Technically, there is not much to say other than that the frequent close-ups become grating at times, and that the vivid colourisation of the locations works well in showing Hyun-dong that life is not as bleak as he sees it. It all feels rather amateurish on the whole, but given the nature of the production, it was unlikely to ever feel anything but.
Overall, “Finding My Gundam” is a feel-good short which does not take up much of one's time, and effectively glides through its runtime with little food for thought. Benefitting from a strong youthful acting performance from Ryu Jun-yeol, it is an accessible film which certainly has a low-ceiling, but undeniably triumphs in giving its narrative a well-deserved, investable heart.
