Awards and festivals

Film description

Spectacular spy action cinema set in the 1920s. The Japanese occupation of Korea, the resistance, the betrayal lurking around every corner, and a Korean police officer working for the Japanese government. The impossible task of smuggling Chinese explosives, needed to fight the enemy, is the basis for the brilliant narration so dynamic, there is no time to catch a breath.

The new film by the master of subversive genre cinema did not let the audiences or the critics down – both groups name him among the most important Korean productions of the year. Kim Jee-woon chooses unconventional editing methods, and the frames imbued with gloom create the film’s disquieting, sensual atmosphere. The use of music is also quite ingenious – who would have thought Ravel’s tired "Bolero," used in hundreds of soundtracks, can sound so fresh? Even though the plot is based on true events, "The Age of Shadows" goes far beyond typical historical cinema. It is a brutal ballet and intellectual duel, with more than just life at stake.

Jagoda Murczyńska