Simpan (1999)

Director:

Chan-wook Park

Writer:

Chan-wook Park (writer)

Release Date:

1999 (South Korea)

Genre:

Short | Drama

Cast

Hak-rak Choi
Ju-bong Gi
In-bae Ko
Sun-mi Myeong

Also Known As:

Judgement (International: English title)

Runtime:

South Korea:26 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Colour:

Colour | Black and White

Company:

Studio Box

Interesting

Well, this is a short film by Chan Wook Park.

The main storyline is that there are various natural disasters happening all over Korea (and the world I presume) and people are trying to collect insurance monies by claiming their loved ones were killed.

How are they collecting money you ask? Well, insurance companies are ponying up as the structures built to withstand disasters aren't holding up.

The story takes place in a morgue with a husband and wife (claiming the dead woman is their daughter), a government official (overseeing the process of identification), a reporter and the forensics doctor. While going through the motions, the forensics doctor recognizes the deceased as his own daughter who disappeared seven years prior. Thus begins a battle of sorts between the supposed parents and the supposed father.

This is a dialogue driven piece with some well placed cuts to people injured and killed in natural disasters as well as imagery of natural disasters themselves. It is very similar to the time transport montages in "Old Boy" when showing these things.

I enjoyed it and there are some very crass and cynical turns in the story along the way that are vintage Chan Wook Park for sure. I won't spoil it should you get the chance to see it sometime.

I only rate it as high as I did because it's him.