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[HanCinema's Film Review] "Miracle on Jongno Street"

One factor about gay media in South Korea that reather fascinates me is how homosexuality never seems to be that big an issue. I mean, obviously the gay people themselves are aware of the larger stigmas, but this is always secondary to the work they produce which is a celebration of people rather than gayness. So it is with "Miracle on Jongno Street", a documentary which goes over four different gay lives who are united in their sense of overall community.

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First up is struggling independent film director So Joon-moon, who walks us through the banalities of trying to film an independent movie. Namely, no budget, no staff, and always having to film in public, with all the inconveniences involved. Considering the general trend of films-about-films to either be overly self-deprecating or overly self-indulgent, So Joon-moon comes off as rather sweet. He's just a hard-working man on the cusp of his thirties struggling with thoughts of whether it's worth the effort to make his dreams come true.

Next is Byeong-kwon, a political activist. That an openly gay man should be in favor of gay rights is unremarkable. I was somewhat surprised, though, to find that Byeong-kwon's activism covers a large spectrum of various marginalized groups. Byeong-kwon's sheer work ethic, coupled with its broadness, is especially notable in the modern political context. "Miracle on Jongno Street" was filmed several years ago, and Byeong-kwon's work was part of the foundation for the current backlash against the conservative government.

In another blast from the past, the next story is about Yeong-soo's experience joining the gay choir G_Voice. Having watched "Weekends" a few weeks ago, it really is striking how, aside from modern fashion choices, apparently the the general tenor (ho ho) of G_Voice's work as a choir is unchanged. It's a place for gay men to get together and hang out. It also incidentally provides an avenue for which gay men from very different walks of life, in or out of the closet, can see a bigger part of the world around them.

And that's what's really essential. Understanding who people are, and being able to keep an open mind about them, that needs more than labels. Gay pride parades are great and all, but behind those parades are people. These are people who are often scared of themselves. The extent to which "Miracle on Jongno Street" blocks out faces is unnerving. Yet in a way it's oddly hopeful. It shows that director Lee Hyuk-sang was paying careful attention to the individual people in his documentary rather than thinking of them as a single abstract group.

That's the mindset which gets us to the story of Yol, the final profiled gay man. His story is sad, a little, but like all the other men in "Miracle on Jongno Street" Yol struggles to think optimistically of the future. Which is really one of the bigger strengths in "Miracle on Jongno Street". We want these men to succeed, not out of abstract principle, but because they're likable kindhearted men. Now that's relatable.

Review by William Schwartz

"Miracle on Jongno Street" is directed by Lee Hyuk-sang.

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