Byun Sung-Hyun won earlier this year at the BaekSang Arts Awards, the prize for the Best Director of the year. This success refers to his newest feature film “Kingmaker” which is actually screened at the London Korean Film Festival. The political drama is in line with the tone of Byun's other works. It is very well crafted, showing a precise and coherent aesthetical concept and presenting the performances of a series of outstanding actors and veterans of Korean cinema.
Kingmaker is screening at London Korean Film Festival
The story is set in the 1960s during the presidency of Park Chung-hee. It tells about the effort of the oppositional parties to win votes and to build an adequate counter-candidate. Kim Woon-beom is the hope of the democrats, but since he has no financial means to run a proper campaign, he is not able to reach enough potential voters. Convinced of his honest interests, a part-time pharmacist, Seo Chang-dae, makes it his mission to help him and becomes his strategy adviser. Seo and Kim are united by a genuine friendship and they share the conviction that they fight for a higher cause.
At first, it's Seo himself to suggest that he would stay in the shadow, because he was a former North-Korean and the South is still very reluctant about the so-called „commies“. But as time passes and his actions get more and more successful, he longs for compensation for his work and for official appreciation. He wants to get rid of his nickname „The Shadow“. And soon his ambitions raise questions of loyalty between the two men.
President Park ruled in South-Korea from 1961 to 1979. History shows that the political fights depicted in the “Kingmaker” were indeed arduous. The film is a plea for the fight for one's convictions and ideas. It is at times a little bit didactic, but it gives also a very informative insight in political practices. Besides its precise historical context, which of course is not free of a certain romantic view on some heroical protagonists, “Kingmaker” functions very well as a suspenseful drama. Its pace is well structured, even though some scenes are a little bit repetitive and the overall length of the film is quite extensive. With a shorter version it would have been a surely more concise.
The historical period in which the story is set is very precisely reconstructed. The costumes, the locations and the set design are full of details. A major effort has been put into creating a coherent overall picture. DP Jo Hyung-rae frames the pictures mostly with a steady camera and chooses a colour palette of blueish-greyish shades.
Doubtless, “Kingmaker” is a big and expensive production which includes also the renowned cast. In the two main roles are Lee Sun-kyun as Seo and Sol Kyung-gu (Yaksha) as Kim. They form a perfect match, Lee playing the more impulsive and Sol the more controlled type. Both actors show once more their mastery of even the more subtle play.
“Kingmaker” is for sure a film aiming to a broader audience. Still it finds a way to entertain and to open a discussion on its content that fits very well not only in the actual political landscape of the country itself but also on a more global level.
