Soldiers from both sides of the Korean divide live among villagers who know nothing of the war.Soldiers from both sides of the Korean divide live among villagers who know nothing of the war.Soldiers from both sides of the Korean divide live among villagers who know nothing of the war.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Awards
- 5 wins & 10 nominations total
- Chief Comrade Lee Su-Hwa
- (as Jae-yeong Jeong)
- Jang Young-hee (North)
- (as Ha-ryong Lim)
- Army Medic Mun Sang-sang (South)
- (as Jae-kyeong Seo)
- Teacher Kim
- (as Duk-hyun Cho)
- Special Forces Commander
- (as David Joseph Anselmo)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
The only reason I watched this film was that I heard Joe Hisaishi did the musical score. He of course did a brilliant job as always, but that's not even the tip of the iceberg. For one thing, it's the first *colourful* war film I've ever seen. What is it with war movies and drab, bleached sepia tones anyway? Hasn't that been done to death? Well, the gorgeous opening scene of an angelic girl standing in a meadow and watching a fighter plane crash ought to be enough to tell you that this is no cookie-cutter war movie. I'm about to cry just thinking of it.
*sob* give me a minute, willya
OK... moving along...
I won't pretend to say I know anything about the Korean War. I'll leave the political bickering to other IMDb posters. For me, this told a very timeless, human story which could have been set in any war. It is the story of two violent enemies who find something more important than their conflict.
I didn't care who was wearing which uniform, nor did I care who the "bad guys" were, nor did I even flinch when I, a red-blooded American, found myself occasionally hoping for an American soldier to be shot (a truly bizarre experience). I ignored all that stuff; it's all purely incidental. At any time, you could swap flags, and the story would be the same. Magical, humbling, emotional, funny and profoundly affecting.
I strongly recommend that ALL Americans SHOULD SEE THIS FILM. NOW. It's not a history lesson; it's a human lesson. And the message is extremely timely with what is going on in the world today. Leave your personal political views at the door, and allow yourself to be swept away by the poetry of this wonderful tale.
(Sorry for my "stumbling" English, i'm Italian and i'm not so good in learning foreign languages :P )
What can I say about ending? Bittersweet is the perfect word it's ending. I'm sad and at the same time overwhelmed. I loved this movie though I haven't much expectations about this as I'm not a war movie genre fan. But,however, I must say,this is WORTH WATCHING.
Did you know
- TriviaWas selected in September 2005 to represent South Korea in the Best Foreign Film category at the 2006 Oscars. Although it was reportedly very well-received at the Academy screenings, it did not get nominated.
- Quotes
Teacher Kim: [in English] How are you?
Smith: What?
Teacher Kim: How are you?
Smith: How do you think I am, huh? I mean, how do you think I am? Look at me, huh? I mean, look at me! I'm tied up with sticks here. You know, I feel like shit! Like shit!
Village Chief: [in Korean] Not going well?
Teacher Kim: It's strange. You can see, like it says here, sir.
Village Chief: I can't read that.
Teacher Kim: Yes, sir. Well, if I say
[in English]
Teacher Kim: 'How are you?', he should say
[in English]
Teacher Kim: 'Fine, and you?'. That's the right American answer, so then I can say,
[in English]
Teacher Kim: 'I'm fine'. Only then is this a completed thing. But he's a bit...
Villager: Why isn't he doing as he should? Is he picking a fight?
- How long is Welcome to Dongmakgol?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Làng Dongmakgol
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $32,065,527
- Runtime2 hours 13 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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