To the Starry Island (1993)

To the Starry Island (literal title: "I want to go to that island") opens on a boat filled with mourners, carrying the coffin of a recently deceased man to the island on which he was born. Before reaching its destination, however, the boat is stopped by a group of islanders who refuse to let the coffin land on shore. Perplexed and frustrated, the son of the deceased argues in vain to let the burial take place, but the inhabitants of the island reject his demands in anger. Events that happened on the island during the Korean War, in which the deceased man played a major role, have left wounds that can not so easily be forgotten.

This fourth film by director Park Kwang-su, which glides subtly back and forth from the present into the past, provides an honest and thought-provoking study of the wounds left by the Korean War. Utilizing a large ensemble cast to create a microcosm of Korean society before and after the war, Park has produced a sober-minded film that succeeds in portraying how the traumas of the past lie close under the surface of life in modern Korea.

Though usually thought of as Park's own vision, the film was nonetheless put together by a remarkable collection of future stars of filmmaking. The screenplay, based on two short stories by Im Chul-woo, was written by Lee Chang-dong (Oasis) together with Im and the director. The film was executive produced by Park Ki-yong, who would later go on to direct the award-winning Camel(s). Assistant directors, meanwhile, include Hur Jin-ho (Christmas in August), Park Heung-shik (I Wish I Had a Wife), Oh Seung-wook (Kilimanjaro), and Jang Moon-il (The Happy Funeral Director).

The cast is no less diverse and accomplished. Moon Sung-keun plays dual roles as the deceased man in the flashback sequences, and his son in the present. Ahn Sung-ki plays a poet who grew up on the island, who tries to mediate between the two sides in the conflict over the burial. The flashbacks are presented as his own memories as he wanders the island and slowly pieces together what happened. Other familiar faces include Shim Hye-jin (Marriage Story), An So-young (Madame Aema) and Heo Jun-ho (Volcano High).

This film provides a gripping story, in which we only learn the truth of what happened at the very end, but it is also filled with select lines of dialogue and images that are in some ways more memorable than the story itself. It is a happy confluence of historical relevence and aesthetic power that makes this film still so important and interesting today.


To The Starry Island ("Geu seome gago sipta") Directed by Park Kwang-su. Screenplay by Lee Chang-dong, Im Chul-woo, Park Kwang-su. Starring Ahn Sung-ki, Moon Sung-keun, Shim Hye-jin, An So-young, Lee Yong-yi, Kim Yong-man, Heo Jun-ho, Kim Il-woo, Lee Kyung-young, Myung Kay-nam. Cinematography by Yoo Young-kil. Produced by Park Kwang-su Films in association with Samsung Nices and Channel 4 [UK]. 101 min, 35mm, color. Rating received on December 2, 1993. Released on December 24, 1993. Total admissions: 133,282.