- published: 16 Jul 2013
- views: 59881
Crossing (also known as Keurosing) is a 2008 South Korean film directed by Kim Tae-gyun. It has been selected as South Korea's submission to the 81st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.
The story tells of a North Korean father and husband who decides to illegally cross into China to buy medicine for his pregnant wife who is suffering from tuberculosis. However, once he crosses into China, he realises that it's not as easy as he thought. He finds himself working as an illegal immigrant under the constant threat of being captured by the Chinese authorities and deported back to North Korea. He eventually finds his way to South Korea by entering the embassy in China. Meanwhile, his family in North Korea suffer without his support, his wife's health failing and his son ending up on the street.
The politics of North Korea in this movie are left behind and are mainly in the background. Instead it concentrates more on the life of the average North Korean, such as the hardship in a impoverished state and the fear of getting caught and being persecuted in North Korea. Subtle themes include religion, which runs through the film, as Yong Soo hopes that his son comes back safely, as well as football which is a way in connecting the North Koreans to the outside world.