andjel

There are already several films about the 4·3 Incident on Jeju Island — about a historical tragedy and crime that many would prefer to erase. It is important that this story continues to be told as a warning and a lesson. The film can also serve as a test of conscience. This one does not really enter into political debates; instead, it shows how violence affects individual people, placing a six-year-old girl at its center. Her parents are there as well, but she is the heart of the film.

We watch the girl Hae-saeng wandering through the forest in search of safety. Her performance is not perfect, because she really is a small child, but what she lacks in acting technique is more than made up for by her likability and the gestures she makes. And at the moments when she expresses emotion that leaves an even stronger impression.

The natural landscape of Jeju Island contributes a great deal to the film. Nature radiates beauty and allows for some almost fairy-tale shots. The film is also imbued with a mystical tone that stands in contrasts with the dramatic and harrowing scenes of absurd violence inflicted on ordinary people. In this way, the film seems to suggest that there is something more — that despite injustice and tragedy, a higher force of life, hope, and meaning still remains.

P.S. The film’s title Hallan carries deep symbolism and receives its visual expression at the very end, as the camera shows Jeju Island.