After directing a few short films over the course of a decade, Kwak Eun-mi makes her feature debut with “A Tour Guide”. A socially charged drama concerned with North Korean ex-pats, Kwak's film paints a desperate picture of defectors struggling to secure a prosperous life in a new country.
A Tour Guide is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
Han-young (Seol Lee) has just started as a tour guide working in South Korea. Fluent in Korean and Chinese, she guides tourists around famous landmarks, hoping to quickly impress and earn as much money as possible. However, as a North Korean defector, Han-young is constantly subject to scrutiny, whether it be from colleagues, her boss, or even the police. To make matters worse, her brother, who migrated with her, is nowhere to be found. Feeling alone in what is essentially a foreign land, Han-young struggles to make ends meet and provide for her ailing mother, who remains north of the border.
There are two sides to “A Tour Guide”: one is about a lonely young woman left to fend for herself in a harsh society, and the other is a story of isolation on account of nationality, of someone left with nowhere to truly call home. This latter half of the narrative is akin to Isao Yukisada's “Go” (2001), and not just for the fact that Han-young is a North Korean defector. You get the feeling that, no matter her efforts, Han-young will never be fully accepted in South Korea. It's this hopelessness that makes the film's ambiguous ending potentially all the more saddening.
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There's a great irony to Han-young's profession, as she guides holidaymakers around a country where she herself feels like a stranger. She sits somewhere in between being a citizen of South Korea and a tourist, and she isn't valued as either. Han-young can be found mimicking her tour guide colleagues, not just in a bid to earn more and keep her job but also as a means of being liked and fitting into a society that treats her like a nuisance. Everywhere Han-young goes, she's reminded of her North Korean ex-pat status, even if it's only to be told that she's “one of the good ones”.
The only one that Han-young has to truly rely on is Jung-mi, a fellow defector who has been living in the South for a little longer. The pair are alike in that they're both decidedly different from their newfound countrymen. In moments they discuss the potential reunification of Korea, a topic spurred by real-life news footage of Kim Jong-un and then President Moon Jae-in ultimately fruitless meeting in 2018. Half joking, half hopeful, the pair struggle to see a world in which they'll be reunited with family and can call the South home.
At the centre of “A Tour Guide” lies a great lead performance from Seol Lee. Han-young is a shy and hesitant character, one who's driven by self-preservation above all else. Lee translates these characteristics through the subtleties in her performance, always appearing sceptical of others and giving a sense of longing to a woman who is, in truth, quite lonely. Oh Kyung-Hwa and Park Jun-Hyuk also crop up with solid supporting performances, but it's Lee who steals the show.
While Kwak clearly has a lot to say with “A Tour Guide”, the film does lack a consistent narrative focus. By examining so many different facets of Han-young's life, it's challenging to get too attached to any one aspect of her isolated world. In part, this might be an accurate reflection of the character's state of mind – unfocused and disengaged from the world around her. However, as far as viewing the film goes, this lack of throughline means the social message leaves less of an impression.
Visually, the movie is minimalist in both the camerawork and locations, with Kwak presenting a cold and indifferent South Korea, despite some cozy moments. The muted color palette brings us into Han-young's dour existence, whether she's putting on a face to tour the likes of Gyeongbokgung Palace or asking for an advance at her second job. We see Han-young go through the same routine a handful of times, each new instance feeling fresh, the images capturing the young woman's various changes in perspective and position.
With “A Tour Guide”, Kwak Eun-mi explores the bleak reality faced by North Korean ex-pats trying to make it in South Korea. Muddled family drama gets in the way of this social examination, but the film still works on the back of its aesthetic and an engaging lead performance from Seol Lee. As far as debut features go, “A Tour Guide” is an accomplished piece. We can eagerly anticipate the next pertinent tale that Kwak has to tell.
