The movie commences with a zoomed-in picture of one man. It looks like Kim Seong-geun is receiving a phone call from Jung Jae-young, talking calmly about debts and bankruptcy. As the camera pulls apart, it becomes clear that he is perched on a ledge of a bridge. A few seconds pass, and he plunges into the water below. However this shocking start plot is immediately undone, as we observe how Kim arrived on a deserted isle; more specifically, on the shore of the island. For those wondering, no, we are not situated in the central part of the Pacific Ocean.
The territory of Bamseom, located near the southeast side of Seoul’s Seogang bridge, is the secluded land. For an individual such as Kim, who has a grave sense of fear associated with ocean waters, even a few shy centimeters of swimming cannot be feasible. Kim feels several emotions all at once; disappointment for his continuous cycle of not being able to commit, followed by a sense of rage for recognition as burying oneself in water can be a ‘freeing’ experience for one looking to escape from their previous life. Regardless of what point was his cellphone operating from, according to his ex-girlfriend, the battery life was already drained.
When the cell phone runs out of battery, Kim finds himself completely isolated from the rest of the world like a true castaway in a pedalo. He will be required to acquire new skills of looking for food and hunting in adverse conditions while also maximizing the benefit of the trash that is available on the island to build a cozy haven. And very soon, the phrase “HELP” that he scribes in the sand will evolve into “HELLO”.
But unknown to Kim a third party had been watching him. Kim Jung-yeon (Jung Ryeo-won) is a young recluse who stays in her room self surrounded by her OCDs and pretends to be a social media fashionista posting photos of her wearing designer clothes and posing with shopping bags. This is the exact opposite of what she actually looks like ugly hair and an oversized T with old All Star sneakers. What excites her instead is the night time when she goes out to ‘the moon’ armed with a telephoto camera lens and captures images of it. During one of her safari picture elections, she unknowingly captures a male Kim together with his giant poster inscribed with “HELLO” on the island, and assumes that he is an extraterrestrial being seeking human contact. In the most unexpected breach of her strict seclusive rules, she decides to reply to his greeting with the giant poster in a creative yet simple manner and then begins anxious exchanges between them.
This comic/romantic/surreal journey of the two misfits as they try to locate each other is an experience that is hard to dislike. The fact there is the smallest chance of weathering onto a desert island far from home is taken as a starting point and is worked on in a skillful and artistic manner and that is one of the best features of the film. The film in fact is a minefield of potential mistakes and faux pas with its abundance of themes like consumerism, alienation, social media fake identities, self isolations, laced with some romantic summation. And yet, magically, their combination is delightfully metaphoric and lighter than a feather.
Kims are not only mirrored in the name but most importantly they are survivors who have better islands as homeless people trying to fish out some kind of a riff in the out of their choice. And yet, the film sails above such burdensome or out of place social commentary; it only leaves it there on the background for us to contemplate on like the seoul sky line always in full view for male kim on his metaphorical but entirely real desert island.
The pacing of the movie is worth noticing. The hardships that male Kim goes through are of a comical nature but they are also quite funny and take up a decent third of the movie alone. Still, with rather quick pace, female Kim storms into the scene with her never-ending tragicomic stunts to bring the audience or attention and set the stage for new expectations and chances. The further interactions as well as the breathtaking suspense ending are quite stunning in their own right.
What actually appeals attention to the absurd and makes the film experience unforgettable is the extraordinary widescreen cinematography by DP Kim Byeong-se. Light serves as the primary source used in distinguishing the two peculiar worlds occupied by the Kim-s, in this instance: the room of female Kim is dark bluish whereas the other has a funny cold light fitted inside the bubble-wrap lined cupboard in which Kim sleeps in making it resemble a deep freezer. Conversely, the island is usually lit with natural sunlight and has multiple backlit images that create the humorous effect that one is on a tropical island especially in spite of all the garbage and plastic bottles everywhere.
Though the film is rather stripped down when it comes to conversation because of the quietness shared between the two Kims as well as their minimal shared screen time, Jung Jae-young and Jung Ryeo-won manage to make each character come alive and have wonderful virtual attributes together. Jung Jae-young on the other hand has some of the most brilliant as well as a very physical comedic performance which is quite the contrast to Jung Ryeo-won who is a tone of complex emotions. At the end of the film, both actors leave a lasting impression with their performance.
“Castaway on The Moon” is engrossing, unique and arguably the best film of all time, the depth in its main characters, as well as the technical execution within the film is flawlessly executed. Combining seriousness and humor within the film complements the start and overall story perfectly.
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