TO THE LIGHTS | Omeleto
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- A young girl tries to escape North Korea.
TO THE LIGHTS is used with permission from Emily Kim. Learn more at / tothelightsfilm .
Soon-Hee is a precocious twelve-year-old girl living in poverty with her loving father. They live on the border of North Korea and China, whose lights she can see across the Yalu River. She has a deep bond with her father, but she dreams of a brighter future, one where she can enjoy music and there is more than enough to eat.
Soon-Hee's best friend recently escaped to China just across the river, and he talks with Soon-Hee through an illegal army radio, telling her all about his new life. When Soon-Hee gets a chance to escape her life in North Korea and join her best friend, she must come to grips with leaving everything behind -- including her patriotic father, whose loyalty to his nation seems unshakable.
Directed and written by Emily Kim, this moving, powerful short drama tracks the moments leading up to a young girl's momentous decision to change her life, one that will drastically alter her future but also requires her to leave everything and everyone she knows behind. Told in a naturalistic yet stately visual style, the beautifully crafted storytelling takes time to build up its young protagonist's world, detailing the travails of poverty and starvation as well as the considerable love and affection between her and her father, played by actor Jongman Kim with great exuberance and warmth. The stakes for Soon-Hee clear, but that clarity also makes viewers realize just what a difficult and dangerous decision she would make in trying to escape North Korea.
Paced evenly, the narrative sticks closely to Soon-Hee's perspective, and at first, the film has the feel of an intimate family drama, playing out a series of scenes in Soon-Hee's home. The home is full of love, but it is also sparsely furnished, there is little to eat and the presence of North Korean propaganda is constant, which her father believes in.
The film deviates from the girl's perspective, however, when it shows a brutal police interrogation, offering an ominous perspective of the larger world that Soon-Hee has been born in and just what danger she faces if caught. As Soon-Hee, young actor Alyssa Kim captures her character's innate brightness and curiosity about the world at large, as well as a growing awareness that her corner of it is not what it seems.
Faced with a rare opportunity for escape, Soon-Hee's biggest obstacle to changing her life is her most palpable source of comfort and support. To move forward, she must leave her father behind. It's a wrenching choice, and her reckoning with it makes for a heartbreaking resonance at the end of TO THE LIGHTS. It gets to the heart of the love between parents and children and offers a painful poignancy to the parental maxim of wanting the best for their children -- even if it means losing them in the process.
Hi everyone! - It's Emily Kim, writer and director of this short film TO THE LIGHTS. I'm so proud of our cast and crew for bringing this story of hope to life with their love and labor! Comment down below your thoughts and any questions on the film or behind the scenes! Thank you so much for watching!
Great job everyone sad
This was beautifully made ❤
Will there be a sequel?
I need to know if she made it 😭😫
❤👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🫶🏻
Excuse me, but I am a bit confused with a small detail: the reflection of light on the young girl's nails at the opening scene. They seem to have nail paint on them. This would be very rare in North Korean women due to the country's restrictions and control over the population's use of "Western" body fashions. Particularly so, if the young girl is "is a ... twelve-year-old girl living in poverty". Moreover, I think it would be unlikely that the father, being a government official (as his uniform implies), is in such dire straits and the family has to eat mice ("the travails of poverty and starvation..."). The government has to keep its officers happy in order to maintain power. Even more, the young girl would leave the "illegal army radio" on and not hide it from his father? "Artistic license" or political bias? Even the title itself ("To the lights") is tendentious. Anyway, the contrast between North Korea and China and the urge to cross the frontier is somehow parallel to the situation between Mexico and the USA (e.g., the "broker" and the coyotes). In sum, a very well crafted short, but I feel it too heavily charged with political bias to the point of sacrificing verisimilitude. 🤔
What a beautiful story. The acting was superb.
Letting her go was the only choice he could make to give his daughter a chance for a decent life after he realised that she and her defector friend got the radio he was ordered to track down. When this gets discovered he will be inevitably killed as a traitor. And his daughter would become an unprotected orphan, ending up starving and worse. At first I was surprised he let her wear his uniform, but then I realised he knew he did not need it anymore.
Oh, good insight and observation! Why didn't he go with her??
@@eugenetswong Maybe to give her more time to escape? His absence would be noticed immediately and all possible escape routes from the country would be searched more intensively than usual. The absence of his daughter alone would be noticed a little later, he could cover for her for a short while saying she went to visit their distant relatives or something.
Alamadre
This short needs to be picked up and made into a feature. I need to know if she made it! Great script, great actors, great story
This was a moving story. Having to choose one's freedom and a new chance at life over one's own blood and family. It could not have been an easy choice but I am so happy her father allowed her to leave in the end. Deep down he to wishes he could leave the oppressed nation of North Korea, but he knows this was not an option and his tears at the end almost made me cry. Beautiful piece of work to all those involved in making it.
One of the very best on Omeleto, and I have seen them all!!
This probably literally the best. It was efficient, touching, not focused on victims, well written, and not condescending.
SPEECHLESS!!! Wow. I didn't know what to expect, but that's what made the ending SO good. I actually teared up. I can't wait to see more from this filmmaker, seriously. 10/10
I can only define this as "An art, which is perfectly crafted"
Yes, it is well crafted.
I think this film is exquisite; heart wrenching yet hopeful, it will make many viewers realise how lucky they really are, and it provides a poignant warning about communism. The father’s love for his daughter made me well up in tears, too. Bravo!
yeah, exactly.
I "hate" the fact that the dad stayed there. I love that the creators made him stay just to make the story more touching. It was really painful to watch. I so badly wanted him to escape.
I hope that this cuts through the political debates wins over western communists.
Fascism is just as bad.
I know who made this, and she's a beyond-talented director 🎉
She’s fantastic!
Was it Emily Kim?
Please say thanks to her on my behalf, if you can. Thank you creators and supporters!
I was not ready for this 😭.
Amazingly acted!
Why couldn't the father have escaped too?
As dedicated as the father is to his country, his allegiance isn't absolute as evidenced by his reaction to the young man's execution.
His love for his daughter is greater than his love for his country.
Great script, performers, director, story. Even the score was stellar! This is bound to win an award if it hasn't already.
Achingly beautiful and sad; in the free world we have little if any idea of the desperate plight of those not in it. Wonderfully crafted film by Emily Kim, and beautifully acted, directed and filmed.
❤we all need shelter, enough food, safety and hope for the future - not war
A country that can provide all of this but choose to let people behind is actually making a dangerous political choice. I mean, it's not like it didn't already happened.
that was a very well acted short! very moving…i hate that they couldn’t go together. :(
So very real of emotions! The agony, the hunger, the love and hope. Thank you for sharing your talents.🌷
Excellent film shedding light on a humanitarian crisis that will hopefully be solved in our lifetime.
I loved this! Very well-made! And what I love about this particular one is that it is in great contrast to the other film, where the North Korean general visits his daughter in Switzerland! Equally as sad though.
I didn't see that, I think. What was it called?
@@eugenetswong The Loyalist. It's hard to watch.
@@Andrea-xs4ny Thank you. I'm kind of scared to watch it. I don't want to feel sad.
@@eugenetswong You're welcome! Yes, watch it only if you're in a good space.
Painfully incredible...😢😢😢😢😢
Emily Kim
You are so talented.
This was so moving.
The actors the scenery the script everything.
I imagine that this is very realistic.
Congratulations. Loved it❤
😢The Ultímate Sacrifice💖
Stunning emotional expressions on both actors.
What a beautiful film!! Cinematography, script, direction, and actors are all superb. Definitely want to see more of this story!!!
This truly was one of the most heartbreaking Omeletos I've seen in quite a while.
I do so hate the so-called Rulers in the world, the privileged psychos and narcissists; the ones who think they can and must control others, yet cannot even control themselves. If there were magic, I would send them all to Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean, where they can act out their twisted psychodramas on each other as long a they wish, and leave the rest of us alone.
Whenever I'd get down about things, I used to remind myself: this ain't Syria; then it became Ukraine; now Gaza. But to paraphrase Rick Blaine -- we'll always have North Korea.
Brilliant actors and, a brilliant script, I love everything about it from scenes, photography, lighting, music, and script. It is so tense and heartbreaking, this is real drama, thank you for your brilliance and for finding such pioneer actors! Wish you a wonderful career ^^
Beautiful film in every way, well done 👍
Very talented cast & crew to make this beautiful film! Congrats to all of you & keep going!
That’s Alan Kim’s (Minari) sister! Talent runs in the Kim family. Way to go!
With all this hate in our country going on now they should show this to everyone or else this could be us in the future.
Absolutely love it. KING BING APPROVED. 👍
Ok this is definitely top 8 really liked this🔥🔥🔥
I am not crying... oh nooo! That was heart breaking!
Im half Korean half black and I loved this one 🎉
A good demonstration of what communism causes.
What a beautiful story 🥹
Let’s go Emily! Such a powerful short 👏
This is unbelievably incredible.
Beautifully done !!
yeah im tearing up
What a beautiful and moving story
YOURE AMAZING I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOUR FILMS
Loved it so much. Such a great short film.
Stunning!!!
Amazing. I hope she made it. ❤
Now this is a very good movie. 🍿
Great short film. I am left wondering what became of her father? I wish he would have left with her.
This is amazing wow, super impressed!
Very well done!
This is an outstanding short film, one of the best I've seen on Omeleto. My only gripe is that the girl is...healthy, even by South Korean standards. I feel like a skinnier girl should have been cast to lend more credence to the story. Other than that, I truly love this film and hope to see more from the director.
Love this ✨✨✨
Amazing
We want to know if there’s gonna be a part 2
YESSSSS EMILY!!!!!
Amazing!
Wow…..
This is brilliant ❤
Oooo well done!
Beautiful.
A touching story
but also frightful.
The brutality
side by side
tender love.
What a dichotomy.
_____
Well portrayed passion-play.
_____
We need our Dear Leader
Yeshua Hamoshiach
more than ever. ✝️
_____
Who controls the Controllers? The lights are always brighter and the grass is always greener. Where do you go when you have nothing to lose?
What is it all about ?
Wow !!!
Not me crying
First class acting
Is that a tomato? 🍅
It’s a persimmon! A delicious winter fruit in Korea
@@EmilyKim00 awwe I see 😅
Yummy! 맛있는 😋
@@EmilyKim00 Emily, you are the same person mentioned in the credits, right?
@@eugenetswong Looks like it.
How's the broken being paid?
Wupwuuup
Their smart phones are far superior to my iPhone 5s......
🎉😅
한국말이었네 ㅎㄷ ㄷ
🩶🩶🩶🩶