Cinema in South Korea has repeatedly attempted to bridge the divide between the two Koreas, although as usual, politics prove more complex than art, with the schism remaining at large. Kim Kwang-kyo, however, explores this concept by creating a children’s movie that blends elements of both children’s cinema and drama.
The Beetle Project is screening at Asian Pop Up Cinema
In an area close to the border of the two countries, torrential rains frequently force the dams in the North open, sending flood water into the South. It is during one of these incidents that two kids, Ah-rum and Jae-hoon discover a plastic bag carrying a beetle in the stream. Initially a point of friction between the two, the beetle becomes the starting point of a project the kids undertake, when they learn that the insect was part of the project of a North Korean child. At the same time, Ah-rum struggles with her absent father, a disgraced reporter who has been largely absent, especially since her mother’s passing.
In the second axis of the film, two young brothers are in a constant state of fighting, as the “brightest” one is sent to a better school in the special city of Kaesong, while the other remains back home, dealing with all the issues of the small town. When the first brother ends up with a project about a beetle that was only given to two “special” kids, the jealousy of the second gets the better of him.
Kim Kwang-kyo directs a film that attempts to bridge the differences of the two Koreas by showing the similarities of the two countries, particularly regarding the issues kids face. Feelings of injustice, jealousy, absent parents, bullying and sibling rivalry seem to appear equally in the lives of the kids. At the same time, Kim frequently portrays the children as more mature from their parents, with the relationship between Ah-rum and her father being indicative. Despite the problems, however, the message that remains from the movie is one of unity, with the way the beetle functions as the tool that brings the North and the South closer working particularly well.
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At the same time, when the movie moves away from the aforementioned and the children in general, the quality of the narrative somewhat falters, as the comments about the army in the North and the press in the South are not particularly well presented, not to mention far-fetched on occasion.
One of the film’s strongest aspects is the performances of its child actors, all of whom deliver impressively in demanding roles. Particularly Kim Bo-min as Ah-rum is a delight throughout the movie, with her moody but quite smart demeanor essentially carrying the South part. The same applies to the kid that plays Chul-kyu (unfortunately, I could not find the name) with his eruptions and overall sense of unfairness being rather entertaining throughout the movie.
The cinematography is expectedly bright and polished, in a way, though, that fits the narrative and the positive message the director wanted to communicate here. The editing results in a mid tempo that also works well, although some repetition (the scenes in the school infirmary for example) could have been avoided.
The Beetle Project’ may not be high art, but it succeeds as a children’s movie while offering enough depth to keep more mature audiences engaged.
