This review may contain spoilers
Cinema at its most, when it comes to political thrillers
Among the South Korean cinema audience in 2023/24 "12.12: The Day" sure was a great success. Production costs were thus recouped after 12 days already. Even beyond the national border the movie is considered among the bests South Korean films of 2023.The story takes place in a world of uniformed men where stars and suits call the shots. There is talking, negotiating, and telephoning. There is also shooting, but comparatively little. The action is limited, even as various military units are actually invading Seoul to reinforce Chun Doo-hwan's security forces. However, it is cinema at its most, when it comes to political thrillers. "12.12: The Day" is compellingly captivating and knows how to stir emotions.
It wasn't long ago that the military in South Korea was thus actively involved in politics. Yet, Chun Doo-hwan's military revolt in that particular December night is a chapter that has long been given comparatively little attention. This KMovie now contributes to making these decisive events of the time conscious and helps to not having it forgotten. (Perhaps the right film at the right time... without knowing sort of preparing the public opinion for another momentous December night yet to come at the end of the year 2024…)
In any case, the right actors were in front of the camera – the KMovie is consistently high-caliber and lives from the strikingly concise character portraits. The names of the true historical figures were minimally altered to allow for more dramatic freedom. (It certainly helps as a non-Korean audience to know a bit about the political and historical context. However, the dynamics are outrageous even without this knowledge...)
The film offers an exceptionally candid portrayal of a crucial momentum in South Korea's recent history. Despite its politically and historically almost documentary-like dramaturgy, the KMovie manages to stir the emotions of the South Korean public today. Especially among the younger audience, it quickly became common to post a screenshot of their heart rate captured by their smartwatches on social media during the 141 minutes of the film to document their outraged indignation.
Even though "12.12: The Day" sometimes seems documentary, it is not a documentary film. The KMovie understands itself as historically precise. Yet, at the same time equipped with dramaturgically pointed degrees of freedom it allows itself to further increase the emotional density, too, and thus amplify the intensity of those impactful hours of that particular night.
By the way, the original title "Seoul Spring" subtly refers to the "Prague Spring," in which eventually hopes for democratization were also abruptly dashed by military force – however, in another country and ten years earlier.
-------------------- HISTORIC SIDE NOTE -----------------------
The era of Park Chung-hee's military dictatorship abruptly ended with his assassination on October 26, 1979. Meanwhile, any high hopes for democracy were quickly dashed by security commander Chun Doo-hwan amid the ensuing turbulences and power vacuum. Together with the so called Hanahoe connection, consisting of his classmates from military academy, Chun Doo-hwan promptly and forcefully seized his opportunity: Having the military intervening in politics again… Thus, the hope for true democracy after Park's death was brutally dashed on December 12, 1979, as the new dictator was already waiting in the wings. The KMovie mainly revolves around those 9 decisive hours: how Chun Doo-hwan managed to win over, persuade, or push key people to side with him and carry out a military coup with a momentous impact for the nation.
In April 1980, he became head of the KCIA (Korean Central Intelligence Agency). In May 1980, he declared martial law. He is responsible for the Gwangju massacre, for the suffering of people in various cleansing camps, and for the torture chambers of the KCIA. On September 1, 1980, Chun Do-hwan officially took office as president and remained a rigorous dictator for 8 years.
It is truly sad, almost outrageous, that in the end, during that decisive night in December 1979 only the commander of the capital guard and a vague 100 of his people dared to really oppose the revolting military commanders around Chun Doo-hwan. Thus, not only the masterminds of the military coup and their Hanahoe comrades are to blame for the coup's success. Unfortunately, many more for various reasons quickly became opportunistic or switched sides out of fear. For 9 hours, a bitter power struggle raged behind closed doors of different operations centers in the middle of the capital Seoul. And on the streets of their own country the military pointed their weapons at each other… (…again).
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Excellent screenplay and top class acting
Large scale of real historical events told with an excellent screenplay that is great in details and heavy in suspense. It is more towards story focused instead of action focused, and the storyline is actually quite complicated to present but it was done really precisely, somehow they've made the plot easy to follow and characters' motivation very clear to understand. Huge plus from the acting performances, all the actors are absolutely top class and the movie works so great mainly due to those intense face-offs, so much stakes on screen but so meticulously arranged, simply unbelievable.Was this review helpful to you?
Soldiers Duty
I love Korea and have studied its history, but this film surprised me and revealed an important detail in the puzzle of Korean history on the rise of the expected "Seoul Spring" in the democratization of society. To speak more about the historical events here, would mean revealing the spoilers of the film, but I can say that the feelings that the depicted events evoke, correspond to the "han" sentiment (and fate?!) of Korean people, which unfortunately we see less and less in modern Korean cinema.As the title of the film suggests (12:12), the film is dedicated to one chaotic day in which a group of military officers connected under the name Hanahoe, attempted a military coup d'état in Seoul. The panic and chaos that followed, primarily in the military ranks, is excellently portrayed in this film thanks to great actors and a dynamic change of shots where, interestingly, we feel the most tension through the many dramatic phone calls. And although at times it is difficult to follow who is saying what to whom, the events of this chaotic night are presented to us viewers in a brutally honest way that can also serve as a warning to new generations. It is a story about the service, duty and responsibility of soldiers, but also of all other people, because we all need to cooperate for the common good. It is scary how people can deny their moral duties and how colleagues can easily turn against each other.
The film is very long, so I will not make this text longer, but I leave this as a recommendation for all serious viewers to put this movie on their "to watch list". It is well worth the time.
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Unus Prevalet
Simply put, a country is a territory exclusively claimed by a given people. There are lands belonging to the people of the American states; those of the folks by the Niger, and the lands of the Koreans and so forth.Modern societies can only function if the people within countries believe themselves in concert. A vast propaganda apparatus and coercive institutions exist precisely to sustain that delusion. The best modern societies are the most cohesive, and thus those most firmly enthralled.
Yet, how many people can anybody know intimately in their country? How many are they entirely certain they could trust with their lives? Some are more fortunate in that regard than others. But not even with the most charismatic people can such amici number in the thousands. Even Jesus Christ only had eleven! Thus, for all that we would have it otherwise, the fact remains that all major human activities revolve around groups of intimates. A small cohesive group remains the most powerful human collective. They push the wheel.
For most of human history, something so obvious won’t have needed detailing. Our ancestors foraged in small bands of relatives. Those who settled as farmers or roamed as nomads were all related. Whether they were lords, peasants, slaves or raiders, strangers were rare! But mankind encountered the divine and birthed religion. Bureaucrats came into being to administer sacrifices to deities. Next came standing armies to defend them. It took some time, but then we invented corporations and endowed them with certain human rights. Then instant communication linked those above and those below by bypassing the middle.
The aggregate effect of all those eldritch creatures we term institutions is that modern man has to function in a world surrounded by strangers. And that works fine. Modernity has many fine substitutes for tangible reality. I’m not whispering in your ear right now. And yet, modernity cannot save us from the threat of an organised cabal. Its illusions crumble if they mount a concerted assault on our institutions. All that’s left are individuals who get swept aside and other groups who must decide whether to submit or fight. In the scrum where band meets band, only the most trusting and the best organised — the one that doesn’t wilt underneath the harsh rays of a zero-sum contest ( to the death!) will prevail. Those who seize the day become rulers.
12.12: The Day is a Korean masterpiece that more eloquently grapples with the above sentiments. It explores the events of the coup d’etat mounted by General Chun Doo-Hwan and his Hanahoe clique against their military colleagues and the Korean State within the medium of a thrilling two-hour drama. Spoilers — Chun Imperator, Ave!
It is obvious that the drama’s creators do not support the actions of the Hanahoe. I admire their creation because they avoided the temptations of lesser artists. There was no revisionism here. At least, so far as I can tell. They trusted in an intelligent audience to make their decisions about what was right or wrong. The viewer can see why those who followed Generals Chun or Lee would have made their choices and lived with the consequences. Although the creators place their thumb on the scales at certain moments in General Lee’s favour, it isn’t so blatant as to be preachy. This tale aims for mastery and artistic integrity over cheap partisan fervour.
It was also great watching a story that was 99% blokes where their motivations were straightforward. Most were following orders, and some just went with the flow. A minority knew the stakes all along, and the rest chose to stick with their guys because the alternative was either getting beat up by your boys for being a wet cat or getting trussed up as a scapegoat. Well, I suppose there was always snitching or cowardice — but, heaven forfend, right?! Every boarder who ever snuck out past lights out or who had to stash contraband during inspections knows the drill. I bet we’ll find this refreshing without the sugar and spice some lesser creators sneak in to titillate the screamy, fainty set.
All in all, this is a cinematic and literary masterpiece!
I bet Prez Yoon is watching this on repeat o:
Like the Josh Groban song . . . Don't Give Up!
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