Program Note
When Kim Jeong-won is appointed to a rural school, he senses something is not right. It strikes him as odd that everyone in the school, including the principal, appears overly protective of a student named Um Suk-dae. Even though he’s a model student, Suk-dae’s behavior seems suspicious. The film adaptation of Lee Mun-yeol’s short story, criticizes the dictatorship of the Syngman Rhee regime around 1960 through the totalitarian situation that unfolds within the school. The film follows Byung-tae, who is transferred from Seoul to a rural school and faces mental domination by Suk-dae after confronting him. It demonstrates that such totalitarianism has not disappeared but still survived even after 30 years, becoming the dominant ideology in Korean society. As a testament to this enduring presence, once a sincere teacher, Jeong-won, has transformed into a member of the National Assembly and a figure who has received numerous privileges from the ruling class. “Our Twisted Heroes” still reveal their presence in various corners of our society. (HUH Namwoong)