A Twist That Shatters Stereotypes of North Korean Movies, Gospel Ringing in Pyongyang When I first saw the trailer for the movie The Divine Band (also known as God's Orchestra), I simply assumed it would be another espionage or comic action film set in North Korea. However, upon opening the lid, the identity of this movie was quite unusual. It turned out to be a "musical film" where upbeat gospel music and hymns resonate in the frozen land of North Korea, a place where religious freedom is thoroughly deprived. The shock that comes when the most incongruous genre meets the most heterogeneous space was substantial. The sight of people in North Korean military uniforms singing praises and reciting the Bible with rigid movements creates a bizarre dissonance in itself, strongly stimulating the audience's curiosity. The unique cinematic experience that starts with the doubt "Does this make sense?" and changes to the surprise "This actually works?" is the first viewing point of this movie.
The Miracle of the 'Reverse Run' in the Second Week, Crowds Filling Theaters on Weekends It is the harsh reality for ordinary small and medium-sized films that if they do not succeed in the first week of release, their screens are drastically reduced or they are pushed to the VOD market within a week. However, The Divine Band is showing the exact opposite move. It is causing a strange "reverse run" phenomenon where the number of viewers actually increases as time passes after the release. The sight of theater seats being packed from weekend afternoons to evenings is a rare phenomenon in the recent Korean film industry. Witnessing the "box office climb" that I had only read about in news articles in a real theater, the heat was palpable. This miraculous success, created solely by the word of mouth of the audience without special promotion, proves that the popular fun and appeal of this movie clearly exist.
Lightly Twisting a Heavy Subject, The Success Formula of North Korean Comedy Recently, the way North Korea is handled in the Korean film industry often follows a comedy genre that utilizes the irony of the situation rather than heavy ideological confrontation, like in Confidential Assignment or 6/45. The Divine Band also cleverly follows this flow. The situational drama created by the clash between the rigid and closed society of North Korea and the free-spirited and hot religious event called a "Christian Revival" presents high-batting-average laughter. Despite the desperate situation where lives are at stake, the eccentric settings and the struggles of the characters burst out incessantly, disarming the audience's tension. The subject matter is heavy and serious, but the way it is unraveled is cheerful and light, possessing the virtue of a popcorn movie that anyone can enjoy without burden.
The Greatest Fraud on Earth for $200 Million, Build a Fake Church! The plot of the movie is bizarre. A tempting offer comes to the North Korean regime, which is frantic to earn foreign currency. It is an offer to support a whopping 200 million dollars (about 300 billion KRW), but the conditions are absurd. They must build two churches in the middle of Pyongyang and hold a large-scale "Revival." For North Korea, which needs money but must suppress religion to maintain the system, it is a dilemma. In the end, they plan a national fraud to swallow the 200 million dollars by creating "fake churches" and "fake believers." The mission where North Koreans, who do not know the "P" of praise, have to imitate Christians by using enthusiastic revival videos from Korean churches as textbooks induces exciting suspense and comedy just by its setting.
Why is Lim Young-woong Mentioned There? The Heavy Realism of 'Based on a True Story' The subtitle "Based on a true story" appearing in the movie opening immerses the audience in an instant. Of course, cinematic imagination must have been added, but since it is an open secret that North Korea operates fake religious facilities for external propaganda, the persuasiveness of the story is doubled. In particular, the scene where singer 'Lim Young-woong' is mentioned in the play suggests that the background of this movie reflects the situation in North Korea in the not-too-distant past, that is, within the last 5 years. It satirically pinches the internal circumstances of North Korea that we did not know well and the reality of North Korea ready to sell even its soul (system) for foreign currency earnings, throwing food for thought beyond simple comedy.
A Security Department Officer Who Hunted Reactionaries Becomes a Revival Lecturer? The person in charge of this ridiculous project is 'Park Gyo-soon', a Security Department officer played by Park Si-hoo. The Security Department is a terrifying organization that protects the North Korean system and seeks out and punishes reactionaries. Such a Security Department officer is ironically placed in a situation where he has to train "Jesus freaks" whom the system considers taboo. Park Si-hoo balances the center of the play by going back and forth between the cold and charismatic appearance of a soldier and the pitiful appearance of a middle manager who has to make the fake revival a success under pressure from superiors. Here, Jeong Jin-woon, playing the role of Kim Tae-sung, a rival and another Security Department officer who checks him, joins in, increasing the tension of the fraud while presenting detailed fun through the banter ("Tiki-taka") between the two.
The Tearful Praise Challenge of the Ragtag 'Victory Band' The core of the fake revival is to create a choir to handle the praise. The people hastily recruited for this are the ragtag 'Victory Band', who have been pushed to the outskirts, not the so-called "1st tier" elite art troupe. To make a living, or to avoid being dragged to a prison camp, they read the Bible for the first time in their lives and practice hymns. Their appearance of blindly shouting "Hallelujah!" without knowing the meaning of the lyrics and mechanically imitating the gestures in the Korean revival video provokes laughter while making us feel a strange pathos. When "Amen" and "Hallelujah" without sincerity ring out in the sky of Pyongyang, the laughter that bursts out from that absurdity is a unique color that only this movie possesses.
Feast of Gospel, An Entry Barrier or Charm That Can Divide Opinions As mentioned earlier, the identity of this movie is close to a musical, specifically a "Gospel Musical." From the middle of the movie, praise and gospel continue almost endlessly. This will feel like a perfect gift for Christian audiences. The familiar melodies and lyrics, and the gradually escalating heat of the revival, make the theater feel like a huge chapel. However, for non-Christian audiences, it may be a somewhat unfamiliar and bewildering experience. Since the religious color is so strong, it may feel like watching an evangelistic movie, which could cause resistance. Nevertheless, the passionate acting of the actors and the innate energy given by the music have the power to make the audience excited regardless of religion.
A Movie That Became a 'Pilgrimage' for Christians, The Secret Behind the Resurgence The decisive reason why this movie is recording sell-outs every weekend and climbing back up the charts seems to be the power of the Christian community. Group viewings by churches or word of mouth among Christians have sparked the box office fire. However, simply dismissing it as a religious movie would be a mistake, as its cinematic completeness and popular fun are quite significant. Following the universal drama structure of "the process of the fake becoming real," it appropriately balances laughter and emotion. Rather than forcing a religious message, it shows humanism blooming in extreme situations and the power of music, so there are plenty of points for general audiences to enjoy as well.
The Poignancy After Laughter, A Heavy Ending Given by the True Story The movie flows like a cheerful farce throughout, but as it reaches the conclusion, it forces us to face the heavy reality provided by the true story. When their praise, which started as fake, turned into real desperation at some point, and when the reality of North Korea they face comes back coldly, the movie wipes away the laughter and leaves a sad lingering feeling. The image of a real church in Pyongyang shown with the ending credits makes us confused about where the truth ends and fiction begins in the story, making a corner of our hearts ache. I hope you verify in the theater whether the end of those who walked a tightrope between 200 million dollars and fake faith is a happy ending or a sad ending. One thing is certain: when you leave the theater, a quite long lingering feeling will remain in your heart.
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