ALIVE (SANDA) New Auteurs

A harsh and uncompromising film of luscious beauty and terrifying hardship, ALIVE demonstrates great formal strength and understanding of narrative subtlety from one of South Korea’s most promising new talents. Director-writer Park Jung-Bum plays poor mountain laborer Jeong-Cheol, whose expressive face speaks volumes as he juggles a series of responsibilities to provide for his loved ones in the face of increasingly difficult conditions. Jeong-Cheol finds himself caught in the middle of a number of struggles: his co-workers are battling for unpaid wages owed to them, his innocent young niece needs financial support to continue her piano lessons and his unpredictable, self-destructive sister’s total fear of darkness requires constant supervision. But amidst the despair, each character dreams of self-improvement. Through this lens, Park Jung-Bum reveals a spare examination into the resilience of humanity under the most excruciating circumstances.