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[HanCinema's Film Review] "Forest Dancing"

Seongmisan Village lies in the Mapo district of Seoul. In the midst of busy city life, the residents of Seongmisan form a close, tightly knit community of families who watch out for each other and take an easygoing lifestyle. The most prominent feature of Seongmisan Village is a forested hill nearby, where for nature trips or snow days parents take their children up to enjoy the majesty of natural recreation and learning.

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"Forest Dancing" does not go too deeply into the logistics of how the village works. That would be missing the point anyway. What defines the lives of the people in this community is that they don't overstress, they don't overplan, they just take steps one day at a time to do whatever's fun and enjoyable. There is, of course, a payoff, such as whenever the musical groups hold concerts, but practicing music is not, to these villagers, a means to an end. Rather, it is the means and the end simultaneously.

A great deal of effort is made to try and document Seongmisan's normal, everyday life. While the camera is never as objective as we like to believe, I feel that director Kang Seok-pil does a good job documenting (perhaps not intentionally) the rather subtle variations of life on and around the mountain that can't really be planned. The wind blowing at leaves in the breeze, the singing of birds, the spontaneity of children- this stuff can't be coached or scripted, but even in shots where these are not the focus, the screen constantly reminds us of that this is all unchanging background noise. This is true even in the most heated of moments.

Conflict arises about a construction project on the hill. The residents of Seongmisan are upset, angry, and vehement- and yet the scenery does not change. Their attitude barely changes, either. No matter what misery they suffer at the hands of the constructions crew, there's this glow of serenity about the villagers as soon as they're away from direct conflict. They move on, and get back to loving everyday life.

There's a nearly religious element at play. While, in some sense, the people in the village can be seen as unreasonable dogmatists in the face of progress, it's impossible to fault them for wanting to protect something that brings so much peace into their lives. It's a curious contrast to the construction workers, whose faces are obscured. No one else seems to care that much- so it's all the more curious that construction has to happen via force.

"Forest Dancing" is an intensely ecological film, and to a large extent, ability to appreciate its message depends a lot on the viewer. For someone who sees (or chooses to see) the hustle and bustle of city life to be the standard everyone ought to inspire to, there's not really much here that will change that person's mind. For those dogged by impatience, and eager to slow down, if only for a moment, the movements of the forest represent a beautiful change of pace. There is, in fact, very little literal dancing in this film. The rhythm moves at its own sensual, visual click. It's a place to unwind- much like the actual Seongmisan Village, which I hope to one day visit.

Review by William Schwartz

"Forest Dancing" is directed by Kang Seok-pil

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