Fast Forward to the 1990's and 2000's. I had married a Korean woman in 1981 -- 35 years later, we are still married -- so when we eventually discovered a Philadelphia channel in our cable lineup that showed Korean programming, she became quite excited. She asked me to watch a Korean historical drama with her, and since it was subtitled in English I agreed. It's English title was Age of Warriors. It was set in a time in Korean history when warriors rose up in rebellion against the king in an attempt to establish military rule, and I have to say that its production values were vastly improved over anything produced in Korea that I had watched in the '80's. It actually held my interest throughout its entire run.
Another Korean historical television drama produced at roughly the same time was Dae Jo-yeong, the story of the man who rose from slavery and eventually founded the Kingdom of Balhae. Like Age of Warriors, Dae Jo-yeong's production values were vastly improved over what Korea produced in the '80's. Sadly, I didn't get to finish this series because we moved out of the Philadelphia area before it finished its run and I have so far not been able to find it again.
Fast Forward again to the current decade. As Hollywood continues to produce and offer remake after remake after remake, I have become more interested in seeing what the rest of the world has to offer, and in addition to checking out a few of my own country's new films and television series I have recently began actively seeking out "alternate" programming from other countries. As you might expect, because I was already somewhat familiar with what Korea has to offer these days, I started there.
Signal is a Korean television series that tells the story of a police detective from the present day and another detective from the past who discover that they can communicate through time with one another and work together to solve as yet unsolved cold cases. That premise likely sounds familiar to anyone who has seen the 2000 film Frequency or the new television series of the same name. Perhaps the producers of this Korean drama were inspired by the film, I don't know. What I do know is that this series is important because science fiction has never been "a thing" in Korea -- even Star Trek is only now beginning to find an audience in that country -- and the writers seem to be doing it right. I have not yet finished the series because I stream it through Viki.com and as of this writing they have not yet finished adding subtitles to all of the episodes, but I have seen enough episodes to come to that conclusion.
So, while I'm still "in Korea," so to speak, what about their movies? Good question. I recently streamed two recent Korean films on Netflix.
The Admiral: Roaring Currents tells the story of a very famous Korean officer, Admiral Yi, who led a force of 12 battleships against an invading Japanese naval force of 330 ships...and won! The production values were, once again, excellent, and the CGI was stunning. I don't think I have ever seen such quality in a Korean production before.
North Limit Line tells the story of the 2002 incident that came to be known as the second battle of Yeonpyeong. The NLL is a disputed demarcation line in the Yellow Sea off the west coast of the two Koreas that serves as the border between the two countries. In 2002, small vessels from the north and the south battled one another near that line after those from the north crossed into the south and opened fire. Like the productions I wrote about above, this film had excellent production values, and the combat sequences were extremely well done.
Okay. Enough about Korea. What about other countries? Glad you asked.
I recently finished streaming, on Netflix, a 6-episode first season of a Netflix original Australian program entitled Glitch. In this series, a police officer in a small town is sent to the local cemetery one night and discovers that six people have risen from the dead in perfect health. Halfway through episode #4 I thought that I had the whole thing figured out, but as episode #6 came to a close I discovered that I was wrong. The story held my attention as well as most of the American programs that I watch and I am looking forward to watching season 2.
Finally, there is 3%, a Brazilian Portuguese science fiction production -- another Netflix original production. 3% is a story about a world divided into progress and devastation. The link between the two sides, Offshore and Inland, is a rigorous and painstaking ordeal known as the Process. Everyone who lives in the devastated Inland gets an opportunity to go through the Process and earn the right to live a better life in Offshore, but only 3% of candidates ever succeed.
I am only three episodes into this series' 8-episode first season, but as the small team of candidates that the series follows grows ever smaller as it goes through the Process, it, too, is holding my interest. I look forward to seeing what their next test entails.
So what is the point of all of this? Simple. I enjoy film and television... good film and television... almost as much as I enjoy writing. If you're like me and are growing tired of a lot of what Hollywood is giving to us, know that there are not just alternatives, but that there are good alternatives. Whatever your individual tastes, there are films and television programs being produced all over the world, and many of them are quality productions that truly deserve to be seen by the widest possible audience. Yes, they are in a large part produced to appeal to a "different" audience -- those with life experiences and sensibilities that differ from our own, but if you allow for that, I believe that you will find plenty of product out there to enjoy.
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