| HOME | FILM | ESSAYS | WUYUETIAN |
Americans need to realize that when that last helicopter left the US Embassy in Saigon, or when the cease-fire was declared in Korea, those wars weren't really over. We've never been able to leave overseas wars behind us overseas, least of all Vietnam and Korea. Both have helped to shape our society and, in many cases, our families.
The documentary And Thereafter brings that home by portraying a family where the Korean War is still ongoing in absurd and ultimately horrifying ways. It's about a Korean woman who married an American soldier, came home with him, and raised three children. I won't say much more about it because the film would have less effect without the element of surprise. But don't sign on for those surprises unless you're ready for Twin Peaks-grade weirdness and Leaving Las Vegas-grade darkness.
If this were a screenplay, even Hong Kong schlockmeister Wong Jing would reject it as too over the top. Nevertheless, the filmmakers tell the story responsibly, and it's a chilling reminder of how messed up some dark, neglected corners of our national psyche are.