A Silk Letter

Beside the Han River in Seoul, at night, Sungwoon burns his draft notice. Like all Korean men his age, he is supposed to do 27 months of military service. Refusing it will get him sent to jail. He returns to the room he shares with his lover, a boy who dropped out of high school. They argue and make up, as always. Sungwoon’s mind starts to race as he contemplates his coming trouble: confused thoughts build up and explode. He tries to write a ’"silk letter" explaining himself, like the Catholic martyr Alexitus Hwang in 19th-century Korea. Director Kang Sangwoo (b. 1983) is active in an anti-militarist group and is preparing for consequences of conscientious objection in late 2010. —Tony Rayns