Korea: Feature Films

Sopyonje (May also be known as Seopyonje or Seopyonjae) (1993)
Grades: 10-12
Rating: Not Rated
Sopyonje is one of the first internationally recognized Korean films. Set in 1950s and '60s Korea, it tells the story of an orphaned brother and sister, adopted by a vagabond musician, who respectively master the art of the Korean drum and p'ansori (traditional folk singing). The turmoil of the Korean War and the westernization that follows result in a declining demand for traditional music, further complicating the pair's lives. Eventually the siblings are separated when Dango, the brother, rebels against the father-figure musician. The pair is reunited only briefly at the end in a stunning musical performance.