This low budget period drama is a rare beast indeed, costing a mere 70 million Won. For those with no time for expensive blockbusters, this film will be a welcome anomaly. Stanley PARK produced, wrote and directed the film as well as organising both the music and costumes. This film details the final days of 19th century progenitor of Eastern Learning, Choe Che-u, who sacrificed his life for his beliefs. Both subject matter and genre make for intriguing viewing. It is an elaborate composition hinting at Sergei Eisenstein’s internal montage and a dramatic rhythm akin to Andrei Tarkovsky’s ‘silence among movement’ and mise en scene. This film, in essence, is a kind of audio-visual homage, allowing the viewer insights into the director′s wealth of filmmaking knowledge. Ultimately the viewer is nudged towards the fundamental question, ‘Qu′est-ce que le cinema?’ This film emphasizes that ‘youth’ should not be judged by biological age alone. Comparisons with The Passion of Joan of Arc by Carl Theodor Dryer are worth exploring. (JEON Chanil)