Synopsis
Asian American Jason Lee is sentenced to a labor camp after being caught pulling a trivial prank. What awaits him in Kansas are not just hard labor such as road construction, and fixing mileposts, but also discrimination. However, Daryl Logan, a black inmate for ten years, feels a certain closeness towards Lee, and they quickly become close friends. However, Kansas is still a land predominantly occupied by white people who attach great importance to old values. Therefore, they look upon Lee and Logan, just worthless dogs. According to the director, the prejudice and discrimination one finds in the film is not based on fiction, but on reality. In the American society, racism is like a disease that refuses to be cured. The history of the American cinema is long with its list of films dealing with racism. Abraham Lim's debut film < Roads + Bridges > will be added to this long list. However, it is not a film satisfied with merely rehashing the old themes. Jason Lee and Daryl Logan are opposite personalities while one believes in rebellion, the other in compromise. However, both of them soon realize that in dealing with the white-centric world in which they live in, self-respect is the single most important virtue. In the Deep South where the streets have no names, director successfully portrays his characters. What this graceful and sensitive film, < Roads + Bridges >, aims to portray, is not the discrimination by the white people, but about self respect and inner peace one must have when dealing with racism. It's an outstanding film with energy and persuasion. (KWON Yong-min)