“I don't fire myself” stands out among the independent productions of the program of this year's Florence Korea Film Fest. The first feature film by Lee Tae-Gyeom is a calm but nonetheless intensive statement against discrimination. It shows one of the dark and inequitable sides of the capitalist and modern society.
“I Don't Fire Myself” is screening at the Florence Korea Film Fest
The main protagonist is Jeong-eun. She travels to the countryside where her company transferred her to. There she finds a small subcontracting company with only male employees. Neither the manager nor her colleagues are very welcoming. She is an intruder, sent by the headquarter to judge them, they think. In order to prove her will to be part of the team, Jeong-eun learns what she needs for the job. The problem is however that she has to climb up on the power towers to help with the reparations. She is afraid of heights, but she will not give up easily. Everyone is just waiting for her to resign and stop being a nuisance. However, she shows a particular tenacity that irritates all her colleagues and the bosses sent to discourage her. The only help she gets comes from her co-worker. He is a quiet man, with several jobs at a time, to be able to make ends meet.
An unusual friendship develops between the two. They realize that they have much more in common than they ever thought. In their own way, both suffer from the economic system on which they depend. “I Don't Fire Myself” describes, in an unembellished way, how profit-oriented companies exploit the labor of the individual. Although Jeong-eun's colleague works continuously, he lives in precarious financial circumstances. Jeong-eun herself has no chance of promotion, although she is more competent than her colleagues.
To avoid critical confrontations, the company relies on the employees' sense of shame and their distress. Jeong-eun should resign by herself, otherwise she will be further humiliated in the company. Employees who are not submissive are not needed. Women rarely get into management positions. Once Jeong-eun says to her friend, “If we were men, we would have been promoted to partners long ago.”
The overcoming of Jeong-eun's fear of heights becomes a more general symbol for her life. There are several decisions she has to make. Is her job really the only security net she has? Who decides about her real value in the end? Isn't she the one who in the first place has to accept and appreciate herself? “I Don't Fire Myself” is the journey of the protagonist to her self-confidence.
Yoo Da-in portrays this development credibly. She gives her character depth. First we experience her as an angry and hurt young woman. She builds a wall around herself, which slowly starts to crumble in contact with her colleague. Oh Jung-see plays a quiet and sensitive guy here, which goes rather against his usual repertoire of roles (“Extreme Job“, “The Call“). Not only is he the counterpart to the female lead, but he's also the character who brings some humor to the plot.
It's a dry, subtle humor that lays over what is otherwise a majorly grievous film. Except for one scene, though, the director avoids slipping into sentimentality. Together with his screenwriter Kim Jaen, he has written a film about serious topics, yet he ultimately offers a hopeful reading. His style could be described as poetic realism. The camera work and the images basically follow a naturalistic, almost documentary principle. Cinematographer Park Kyung-Kun stays close to the characters and captures their emotions through their faces.
With “I Don't Fire Myself”, the director has created a social drama that makes a lasting impression. It is a film that in parts makes you feel very angry. Many will be able to identify with the situation or the feelings of the protagonists. Work is an existential problem that affects many people. But at the same time, it is also a positive film. It gives you the courage to stand up for yourself.
