"The Anxious Day Out"

Ever since universityYun Gi-jinand his wifeHwang Sunhave worked toward the reunification of North and South Korea. Their chosen method of approach is by trying to talk to like-minded Koreans from the other side of the border. While such behavior is illegal under South Korean law, under the Sunshine Policy these laws were not generally enforced. That changed with the election of Lee Myeong-bak. Yun Gu-jin quickly became a prosecutorial priority, and for the crime of talking to North Koreans was imprisoned and separated fromHwang Sunand their two daughters pending appeal.

"The Anxious Day Out"is the story of what life is like forYun Gi-jincoming back to see his wife and daughters for the first time in five years, having missed out on so much of their lives. On the literal level"The Anxious Day Out"is exactly what it sounds like- tender and sad. Yun Gu-jin is still under threat of reincarceration, so he just tries to enjoy whatever time is available as much as possible.

On the subtextual level the argument behind"The Anxious Day Out"is equally transparent- this is a documentary that documents injustice by demonstrating how absurd the situation is.Yun Gi-jinis rather obviously not a threat to anyone. He's not violent. The man doesn't even act all that bitter about having had to spend so much time in jail. It's hard to blame him.Yun Gi-jinreally just wants to see his daughters, whether it be at the house or out of it, and be a part of their lives.

At the same time,Yun Gi-jinis a man of principles and the prosecution against him is rather obviously politically motivated. If you don't believe me just watch the epilogue and find out what happened a few months after the documentary premiered at Busan. What makes the situation especially absurd is that, supposedly, the reason why North Korea is such a terrible place is because they don't have any knowledge of the outside world. Yet for trying to start a dialogue and mutually increase awareness,Yun Gi-jinwas imprisoned.

DirectorKim Cheol-mindoesn't really focus on the political angle, though, and that's for the better. Whatever your opinion on North Korea,Yun Gi-jinis first and foremost easy to identify with as a person. He misses his kids and is happy to see them again. It's hard to imagine what purpose putting him in jail was supposed to serve."The Anxious Day Out"portrays injustice effectively mainly by making the process seem so banal and petty.

That's a lot of subtext for a documentary that is, for all practical intents and purposes, just an extended well-edited home video ofYun Gi-jinandHwang Suntogether at home with their daughters. There's no pathos, no anger, no indignation, just...life. Having grown up in the so-called free world, I was always under the impression that being able to live a decent humble life was an inherent right that made us superior to other political systems. Evidently, in South Korea at least, that much isn't a right but a revokable privilege for those with wrong opinions.

Review by William Schwartz

"The Anxious Day Out"is directed byKim Cheol-minand featuresYun Gi-jinandHwang Sun.