Bluring of the line

“A Single Spark” (1995) by Park Kwang-Su seems to have three significant endings that are closely tied to the opening scenes: the peaceful Labor Day parade in Korea in 1990s and Chon Tae Il’s brutal immolation in 1970, Chon lighting a book on fire both in the beginning and at the end, and the death of Chon and the birth of Kim Young Su’s son. I think the purpose of such opening and endings—both sameness and complete opposite coexist—is to transcend time and place within and without the film’s world.

Kim Kyung Hyun, the essayist, asserts that director Park tries to present a new vision of stable and articulate masculinity through Chon during time Korea was most insecure about it. Chon is presented as a character who never ceases to embrace his working-class identity and, instead, fights for his rights. Thus, he is mythologized and romanticized to transcend his human nature: “Chon is never unsure of his subjectivity; however, he seems more like a regimented soldier or a faithful worshipper than an ordinary human with internal conflicts and moral ambiguities” (Kim 117).

I strongly agree with Kim’s argument that the film is mythologized especially because of the use of interesting camera angles such as extreme long shots, aerial shots, and shots of characters placed outside of the camera. For instance, the scene with the landlord and Shin Jung Soon (Kim’s girlfriend) at night is shot from an aerial perspective, and the scene with the two characters in front of the pond is shot without their presence in camera and we can only hear their voices.

I think that aerial shots create a strong sense of alienation between the film’s narrative and the audience. It is as if we are eavesdropping as an outsider. Moreover, when the camera focuses on the fish in the pond rather than on the two figures who are having a conversation, it creates a sense that the film’s narrative is too big to be contained so it exists outside of the camera—maybe it extends into our world. In fact, because of the numerous instances of extremely long shots, I got a feeling that I am actually looking at a photo rather than a movie because everything seems to be frozen in place: I can’t see the characters’ facial expression nor their interaction.

In summary, I find that the film is attempting to blur the lines between past and present and between the film’s world and the audiences’ world for reason I cannot yet comprehend.