The Individual in the Mass

In A Single Spark, Park Kwang-su depicts the role of the individual in relation to a greater mass. This theme is alluded to in the film title, which refers to a single spark’s contribution to the greater fire.

This theme is emphasized in the visual motif of fire in the film, which presents the role of the individual in society as full of potential. The most significant example of it is in the scene of Jeon Tae-il using his lighter to ignite a single frame. The close-up of Tae-il demonstrates his physical dominance and power, as his body dominances almost the entire frame. The viewer sees the single flame (denoting the individual in relation to society) spreading over a book in the next shot, and this composition of shots suggests the movement of expansion. The viewer expects to see the fire to exceedingly expand, and this expectation is brought to fruition at the end of the film, when the scene is introduced again (proving its first showing to be foreshadowing). The individual is valued in shots in which close-ups of people are shown, such as in the dance scene on the beach and in the interviews that Tae-il conducts of the workers. It is in these instances that the individual holds power, both physically (in terms of the frame shot) and socially. 

On the other hand, the role of the individual as a part of the mass is depicted at times as futile and powerless in the film. These depictions are achieved through the vehicles of framing, usage of space and camera angles. The long-shot in the opening scene shows a large mass of demonstrators; as a collective, they seem united, but also devoid of individual personality and capacity for agency. The general powerlessness of the individual in society is emphasized in scenes shot in interior spaces, in which movement is extremely restricted and isolated. In exterior spaces, although the individual has more ability to move, he seems to be navigating spaces that are infinitely most vast than he is. This is shown in the scene of Tae-il running frantically down the street; the camera’s placement at the end of the street creates a sense of urgency in the audience as Tae-il is trying desperately to run toward it, showing the character’s ultimate lack of ability to control his environment as well his environment’s lack of concern for him.