The Sense of Violence

The film traces the trajectory of cinema by uncovering the specific intersections shared within the historical context of “anti-communist art” during the Park Chung-hee regime (1970s). In particular, the censorship of anti-communist film imagery by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency symbolically reveals the presence of power and ideology in the space between image and reality during the Park regime. The images reproduced by power through ideology represent reality but paradoxically intervene in it. For instance, the massacre scenes that appear almost as clichés in anti-communist films influence the reality experienced by the families of massacre victims, a reality often forgotten. The film also contemplates those who create these images. What roles do creators play between power and ideology? Creators may collaborate with power, producing images that serve the ideology desired by those in authority. At other times, they might document images they observe passively, seemingly outside the sphere of power. However, even these seemingly detached images are shaped by the pervasive influence of power within a larger hierarchical structure.

KR, 2025, 114 min.; ko, en / en sub / sk tit