THE COAST GUARD Asian New Classics

Kim Ki-duk has been stunning audiences for years with films such as BIRDCAGE INN, THE ISLE and BAD GUY. Now the former soldier imagines a living nightmare shared by both the innocent and the guilty.

Corporal Kang wants to catch a spy. One night he senselessly shoots a young civilian who has stepped into the restricted border area to make love with his girlfriend. While the female witness to this absurd slaughter is losing her mind, Kang is rewarded for exemplary performance of duty. After more violent incidents, though, he is discharged, a decision he refuses to respect. He wanders the barracks like a “phantom” dispossessed, steals ammunition and attacks his former friends.

Director Kim Ki-duk Mixes a rough personal drama-with a tense socio-critical allegory. The controversy surrounding the consequences of dividing the Korean peninsula is highlighted by surreal elements that drive home the insanity of a highly charged political atmosphere.