Dust-Man

더스트 맨 ‧ Movie ‧ 2020
Completed
The Butterfly
4 people found this review helpful
7 days ago
Completed 2
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.5

"Fine dust is hard to see, we forget about it, though it's everywhere"

Fair warning, Dust-Man is the type of film I enjoy--independent, centered around art, and involved redemption. The filming, music, and acting were not polished, but somewhere it just hit that sweet spot of theatrical enjoyment for me.

Tae San is homeless and looks out for Mr. Kim, an older man, and Do Joon who is in his 30s like Tae San. One night Tae San observes a young woman painting a mural in a small tunnel. When he returns the next night, the city has painted the walls white. Mo Ah passes by and tells him it’s okay, she does these murals to force the city to clean up these spaces. Tae San shows her how to create art on the fine dust collected on cars and other surfaces. The two develop a friendship over art that is only held back by the darkness of Tae San’s past.

I enjoyed the impermanent art created by the two, art that would eventually be blown, wiped, or washed away. The two understood that art didn’t have to be permanent to be meaningful. Their images showed what was, what is, and what could be, hampered only by their imagination. Though Tae San’s art was unbounded, his life was a cage created by his memory. Until he found the key to unlock the door he was stuck on an “endless journey.”

Homelessness was portrayed as a life choice with the three men shown which was not very accurate. Most homelessness is caused by unaffordable housing, unsustainable wages and poverty, substance abuse, health issues, and mental illness. For women, abusive relationships can drive them out to the streets with children. Despite the white washed version, the director did try to show that homelessness, like fine dust, was everywhere, but often invisible. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. And like personal problems and pain, it needed to be faced. Tae San’s art and friendship with Mo Ah revealed the key he had hidden under mounds of dust and ash. Dust-Man was gritty and unpolished but showed that dreams could be carried by the dust in the wind*.

28 August 2025
*Apologies to Kansas/Dust in the Wind for applying the same term

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Completed
Anthojay
0 people found this review helpful
May 12, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
It's not a fault to be homeless, powerless, or even a wanderer, sometimes it's not about the repetition of daily life or the dread of daylight in this torturous society. When monetary factor doesn't take place, the freedom that comes with a simple sleight of finger, could also leave great impact and become the inspiration to everyone else. Even if it's just temporary, the beauty of it still remains in the heart, while humans slowly reside into natural particles that will always be around, forever.
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Completed
balupton
0 people found this review helpful
May 29, 2025
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Brilliant but unavailable

I saw this film on one of those ephemeral streaming services (SBS On Demand), and it is one of my favourite films.

It's a pity it isn't available anywhere, as I want to be able to recommend it with others and watch it again.

If anyone finds somewhere where it is available, please let us know.
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Dust-Man poster

Details

  • Title: Dust-Man
  • Type: Movie
  • Format: Feature Film
  • Country: South Korea
  • Release Date: May 8, 2020
  • Duration: 1 hr. 32 min.
  • Genres: Drama
  • Tags: Art
  • Content Rating: 13+ - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

  • Score: 7.8 (scored by 12 users)
  • Ranked: #39119
  • Popularity: #99999
  • Watchers: 162

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