Have you ever been so lonely, you decided to leave humanity altogether? That’s exactly what both of the heroes in this South Korean production do, though they go about it in very different ways.
Kim Seon-geun (Jae-yeong) starts the movie trying to kill himself by jumping off a bridge into the Han River. The problem? He didn’t die. He washed up on an island in the middle of the river with no way to shore, and he can’t swim. Alone on the island, isolated from humanity and with no responsibilities, he begins to learn how to live and then he gets a pen pal.
Kim Jung-Yeon (Ryeo-won) is reclusive, to put it lightly. She hasn’t left her room in three years and she doesn’t want to ever again. She spends her days adding steps to her pedometer, running a virtual life, and taking pictures of the moon. She believes that it doesn’t matter whether or not something is real, as long as other people think it is. Then one day she finds herself an “alien” who can only be seen from her window. It's time to make contact.
This film is odd in a good way. It helps you appreciate the little things in life and realize just how little something like a maxed out credit card actually means (though it can be a terrific bird poop scraper). Calling this a romance may be pushing it, but Mr. Kim and Jung-Yeon have a connection with each other that they just don’t feel with the rest of humanity.
This movie plays with universal themes and is especially poignant for people who live in a thriving metropolis. This movie shows an interesting slice of South Korea, and how anywhere, DC and Seoul alike, people can feel lost in the masses—and they can be found. There is hope.
This movie is available to stream instantly on netflix.com (the picture is different), and is available to purchase here. Go watch it.
"Castaway on the Moon" is a Korean drama, written and directed by Lee Hae-Jun, produced by Kim Mooryoung, and starring Jeong Jae-yeong and Jung Ryeo-won. It was produced in 2009 and it is 116 minutes long. It's not rated, but PG-13 seems appropriate. It is available subtitled.
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