Night in the Pandemic
What a great afterglow!
That was my feeling after watching the Korean television series Sisyphus.
What I thought was the last scene let a shower of flowers drift in my mind.
While I was watching the ending, I wanted to linger in the mood and didn't want it to end that way. Then that sequence cut to another scene that actually closed the drama. This surprising closure made me accept the end of the story and let the flower petals in my mind float away in the wind. In my opinion, what’s important in the last scene of a film or television show is its “afterglow.” When the story ends abruptly, I feel abandoned and lost. I prefer a kind of separation that is more like a person waving at me until I have digested the story. Just like Mr. Shimizu, the proprietor of an udon noodle shop from my childhood, who always saw me off until I disappeared from his view.
Sisyphus is a Korean sci-fi thriller that intertwines past and future while it questions the sins of humanity.
In this prolonged pandemic, financial support is necessary for the arts and culture community to survive. The United States –– an economic giant –– and France –– an art giant –– have a huge amount of grant money, far more than other countries. I am truly grateful to the US government and crowdfunding for supporting my work. I was surprised to know that, even before the pandemic, the South Korean government has allocated $368.5 million per year to support its movie industry. I think it’s wonderful that the government supports its arts and culture industries with the belief that “Cultural activity is a fundamental right for human beings.” With this strong support for arts and culture, the South Korean film and television industry will get more and more attention.
The following four Korean television series are particularly amazing in terms of their structures:
Six Flying Dragons — Historical drama that depicts transitional times from the end of the Goryeo to the Joseon dynasty (which began in 1392)
Misaeng: Incomplete Life — Drama that deals with Korea’s educational competitions, culture of seniority, economy, and politics in modern life
Life — Medical, economic, and social drama involving chaebol (a large company in South Korea often controlled by a powerful family) politics
Forest of Secrets: Stranger — Crime drama that portrays prosecutorial power built on educational and social ranking
Each episode of these dramas is just long enough to be enjoyable and even has one climax per episode. That’s why we don’t get bored. At the same time, it never agitates or puts pressure on the audience, so it's not too addictive. I think it’s like a human relationship. The final episodes of all these series are superb. They are not lengthy, not abrupt, not predictable, yet well embrace the whole storyline. Even though the stories contain unfavorable or unreasonable elements, or are filled with distortion or resentment, or discouraged or depressed characters, they all end with a positive sentiment. They leave us with pleasant feelings –– a nice afterglow –– as though they are accompanying us.
In reality, South Korea has a complex historical background, including the South-North schism, and a competitive society after rapid economic growth. The country’s shaky situation can be perceived through these TV dramas. In fact, the lives of South Korea's presidents have been full of ups and downs. In South Korea, prosecutorial power is so strong that it dominates investigations and indictments, giving the country the nickname the “Prosecution Republic of Korea.” Currently, President Moon Jae-in, a former defense lawyer, is striving to pass a prosecution reform bill that distributes the power more evenly. Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, however, opposes that. This has made President Moon’s approval rating low. Meanwhile, former Prosecutor General Yoon is running as a candidate in the presidential election next March. The county’s path to choosing a leader who respects fairness and justice is like a movie. Am I the only one who thinks that people living in a shaky country emotionally rely on arts and culture?
As a supporter of the arts, I’d like to continue watching Korean dramas at night in the pandemic, and will cry, laugh, and be shaken with them.
Yuh Okano, May, 2021
