By Kwaak Je-yup
A recent poll showed that the top career pick among Korean elementary school students was civil servant, most likely reflecting their parents stressing economic stability.
In the film "Dangerously Excited," which opens Thursday, director Koo Ja-hong plays on this trend by pitting the life with a safe job against the one of a penniless dreamer.
The result is superb. Unlike the entertaining but ultimately forgettable slapstick comedies studios churn out year after year, the movie beautifully blends fun with serious existential problems. The nearly flawless screenplay is further lifted by seasoned actor Yoon Je-moon's magnificent performance.
If only theater owners would be bold enough to let this work be shown, "Excited" could prove more than a sleeper hit.
After making its premiere in Busan last year and also screening at the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy in April, it was given a new Korean name "I'm a Civil Servant" by its distributor New World Entertainment (the English title remains intact, according to the Korean Film Council) to make it more easily associated with the widespread interest in the occupation.
And the protagonist Han Dae-hee (Yoon) fits squarely into the stereotype. A 38-year-old civil servant in the Mapo District Office in western Seoul, Dae-hee reports to work at nine in the morning and leaves at 5 p.m. on the dot. Having saved up and read various investment guides, he now owns a humble house close to work. In his department, he performs well enough to be promoted on a regular basis. Unmarried and uninterested in connecting with others on a personal level, he considers Yoo Jae-suk, the countrybest-paid entertainer, his "best friend," albeit only accessible through the small screen. But he is genuinely and convincingly content. His hobby is to read reference books, and his colleagues consider him smart for his ability to name the top three breweries in the world and other trivia.
One day, his job leads him to evict an indie band from a building after a series of noise complaints, and the ¬ members seek charity from him. He is unmoved and rejects their plea until the district chief passes by. Trying to avoid a commotion, he is forced to let them move in to his basement, unknowingly bringing dangerous excitement into his basic life.
The plot may sound like a sappy rite-of-passage tale, urging people to follow their inner desires. But the director smartly keeps the film anchored on reality.
The dream-chasers are rarely portrayed in a positive light. The band's self-penned lyrics are ludicrous and the quality of the music questionable. Dae-hee is the voice of reason for the band, who constantly quarrel among themselves over the smallest creative differences. The simple civil servant's perfectly content expression is so convincing that no one could be faulted to feel for his rational, modest life over the band's poverty-stricken struggles.
Even when Dae-hee temporarily joins the band, he finds neither a musical talent nor a happy ending. He is no good at the bass guitar and is made fun of by the band. He is punished by the district authorities when they catch him performing at an amateur competition during work hours.
Essentially, he is a coward who cannot abandon his current lifestyle even at the end of the movie. As the credits roll, however, the film implicitly asks whether you have the audacity to make a different choice.
Koo has a great sense of direction, pace and uses sound effects well so that "Excited" never feels boring. The smallish scale of the set helps achieve this, but the compact, well thought-out screenplay is a rare feat that deserves mention.
But the real star is Yoon; his portrayal of Dae-hee is what makes this film work. Not in a single scene does his acting seem forced. His impenetrable face keeps viewers guessing. Behind it, his emotions can appear so simple, yet a perplexing psychological change is taking place. It is simply a pleasure watching this brilliance on screen.
The acting quality of the band, including Kim Byul (formerly known as Song Ha-yoon) and Sung Joon, varies. But who is watching them?
"Dangerously Excited" (local title "I'm a Civil Servant" opens Thursday in theaters nationwide. Runs for 101 minutes. Rated for general audience. Distributed by New Entertainment World (NEW).