Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds

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Movie
German title Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds
Original title Sin-gwa Hamkke: Joe-wa Byeol ( 신과 함께: 죄 와 벌 )
Country of production South Korea
original language Korean
Publishing year 2017
length 140 minutes
Rod
Director Kim Yong-hwa
script Kim Yong-hwa
music Bang Jun-seok
camera Kim Byung-seo
occupation
chronology

Successor  →
Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds is a fantasy - adventure film of South Korean director Kim Yong-hwa from the year 2017. The film is based on the eponymous webtoon and manhwa of Joo Ho-min and through the Korean myths and legends, a Mix of Buddhism , Korean mythology , Korean shamanism and Confucianism .

In 2018 the sequel Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days was released . Two more films in the series are being planned.

action

Fireman Kim Ja-hong is killed when he is able to save a little girl on a mission. In the afterlife , the three guardians Gangnim, Haewonmaek and Deok-chun are at his side to defend him in his trials. Since he died an honorable death, he receives the status of a nobleman ( 귀인 / 貴人 Gwiin ) in the afterlife, which brings him some advantages in the afterlife. Ja-hong has to justify himself in the seven underworld courts of hells before the gods of the hereafter. King Yeomna, the ruler of the underworld, determines the order individually and is the only one who knows it. First, Ja-hong has to face the god of murder. The prosecutors accuse him of having acted negligently, which is why his colleague died. But Deok-chun kindles the karma mirror. It shows that Ja-hong saved eight lives on the same day. The other firefighter was stuck and Ja-hong only left him at his request. He wanted to free him later, but the building collapsed. The god of murder understands and acquits him.

But Ja-hong has absolutely no interest in being reborn. But it is important for the three guards. These can only be born again if they can help 49 souls to be born again within a century. They are currently at 47. Deok-chun explores Ja-Hong's life on the travels to the next role. The hell of indolence should be easy for her because Kim Ja-hong had a hard life and always worked. In front of the karma mirror, Deok-chun tells the touching life story of the self-sacrificing Ja-hong, who saved people and animals. Even the goddess of indolence is touched. But when she asked why he was moved to be so kind, he replied that he did it for the money. The goddess is shocked and wants to banish him to her hell. But Gangnim and Haewonmaek intervene. Gangnim goes on to say that Ja-hong came from a poor background and needed the money to take care of his mother and brother. He also took on all sorts of part-time jobs. Ultimately, Ja-hong is acquitted.

However, Gangnim is upset at how difficult Ja-hong made it for them. He threatens him and should listen to her from now on. Haewonmaek incidentally mentions that Ja-hong could appear to his mother in a dream to say goodbye before his rebirth. But it has to come to that first. Then Ja-hong would like to be reborn too. But suddenly a Hellghul appears. An ominous sign that someone in Ja-hong's family has passed away and turned into a vengeful ghost. With the appearance of demons and the acceleration of time, the world of the living affects the hereafter. Ja-hong is beside himself and fears for his family. Gangnim decides to clarify the facts in the world of the living. Ja-hong's brother died under mysterious circumstances and is roaming Seoul as a vengeful ghost. To stop him, Gangnim must find the remains and burn them. Meanwhile, Ja-hong successfully completed the hell of deception together with Deok-chun and Haewonmaek.

While Ja-hong is allowed to skip the hell of injustice and just happens, Gangnim can clarify the circumstances of Su-hong's death. Su-hong and soldier Won Dong-yeon were on night watch together. The nervous Dong-yeon accidentally shoots Su-hong. He fetches the commander, Lieutenant Park. He wants to cover up the death, as he is to be promoted next month. Dong-yeon unwillingly helps him bury Su-hong in the forest. However, Su-hong was still alive and might have been saved. Meanwhile, Haewonmaek gossips on the way to the hell of betrayal, which Ja-hong is also allowed to pass, and mentions that his brother is the vengeful ghost. After a brief moment of unrest, Ja-hong recovered and is now even more willing to be reborn because his mother no longer has anyone.

Gangnim has since found remains of Su-hong, but does not want to burn them immediately because of the injustice he has suffered. To cover up his death, Lieutenant Park has declared Su-hong a deserter. His mother therefore knows nothing of his death. Haewonmaek also returns to the world of the living and wants to burn Su-Hong's remains immediately, as the underworld becomes more and more dangerous by the spirit. But Gangnim will not allow it. He can confront Su-Hong's spirit and offers him to defend him in the afterlife and to help him to reincarnate if he stops. But Su-hong rejects it with hatred. Meanwhile, Dong-yeon brings Su-hong's mother a note of his death. Then he decides to commit suicide. However, Su-hong asks Gangnim to save him. For that he would do what he asked. Su-hong delivers a final message to Dong-yeon and follows Gangnim.

Meanwhile, in the hell of violence, Ja-hong is about to be sentenced. As a child, he severely beat his brother and then left his family for 15 years. The case seems straightforward. But Deok-chun suggests a combined negotiation, since the case is related to the next hell. However, if there is a conviction in a combined trial, the convicted person is punished twice and the guards lose all of their privileges. Hell's accusers agree. So it leads Ja-hong on to the hell of irreverence, the last hell. In the world of the living, Gangnim and Su-hong will witness how Su-hong's mother searches for her son at the army base and is attacked by Lieutenant Park. Then Su-hong transforms itself again into the vengeful spirit and creates a hurricane that connects both worlds. When Su-hong realizes that his brother is sinking into the sand through his actions in the other world, he gives up.

King Yeomna now appears as the god of irreverence and condemns Ja-hong immediately. He tried to kill his entire family. As a child he first wanted to kill his sick mother with a pillow, then his brother and himself with sleeping pills. However, he couldn't do it and then beat up Su-hong, who overheard it and tried to stop him. Neither Ja-hong nor Su-hong knew at the time that their mother was awake, and they are confronted with it for the first time through King Yeomna. Her mother did nothing because she was so sick and thought she was a block on the children's legs. Through the gate created by the vengeful Su-hong, he too can attend the trial. Ja-hong is shocked and accepts any punishment and wants to pray for his mother's forgiveness one last time. Meanwhile, in the world of the living, Gangnim creates a connection between Su-hong and his mother, so that he appears to her in a dream. The dream is transmitted directly through the karma mirror. Su-hong tells his mother that he had only just learned that she had heard everything back then. But she forgives him and Ja-hong without hesitation. It was all her fault. Ja-hong only worked for his family for 15 years and gave them money. King Yeomna then reversed his sentence that the underworld could not be punished for a crime forgiven in the world of the living. Thus, Ja-hong can be reborn.

Gangnim, meanwhile, sees the soul in Su-hong whom they want to help reincarnate in this century. Before that, Gangnim brings his mother a rice cooker that Ja-hong stowed away before his death and that he no longer had the opportunity to give to his mother. Inside is a letter for her.

reception

The cast of Along with the Gods

The film opened in South Korean cinemas on December 20, 2017 and reached over 14.4 million viewers. This makes it the second most successful feature film in South Korea. The film received mixed reviews from both movie reviewers and fans of the Webtoon .

After Jin Min-ji, many fans hoped for a faithful implementation of the Manhwa . However, one of the most popular characters in the film, Jin Gi-han, is missing , a lawyer who accompanies Ja-hong through the underworld. In the original, Ja-hong is an average employee, not a firefighter . In addition, the side stories were linked differently. After Jin Min-ji, director Kim made these changes to make the plot more melodramatic and so press on the tear gland with his film.

For the film critic Pierce Conran, Along with the Gods is an ambitious project of creating an epic fantasy film. No Korean film before has used so many visual effects . Through this the younger audience was addressed, while the melodramatic climax of the film could also arouse the interest of the older generation. The lack of narrative focus with numerous subplots and repetitive negotiations is problematic. For Elizabeth Kerr of the Hollywood Reporter , the film is technically good, but too long. James Marsh of the South China Morning Post gives the film 3 out of 5 stars. With its mixture of melodrama, humor, action and fantasy, the film reminds him of the classic Mistake in the Hereafter .

Awards

KOFRA Film Awards 2018

  • Kim Yong-hwa was named Film Personality of the Year

Baeksang Arts Awards 2018

  • Award in the Best Director category for Kim Yong-hwa
  • Award in the Best Technology category for Jin Jong-hyun

Chunsa Film Art Awards 2018

  • Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for Kim Dong-wook
  • Special audience award for the best film

The Seoul Awards 2018

  • Award in the Best Actor category for Ha Jung-woo
  • Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for Ju Ji-hoon
  • Award in the Best Supporting Actress category for Ye Soo-jung

Korean Association of Film Critics Awards 2018

  • Award in the Best Visual Effects category for Jin Jong-hyun

Blue Dragon Awards 2018

  • Award in the Best Supporting Actress category for Kim Hyang-gi
  • Award in the Best Visual Effects category
  • Audience vote film of the year

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ (5.11.) Film, "Along with the Gods ...", Metropolis, 7 pm. In: Scene Hamburg. Retrieved November 23, 2018 .
  2. ↑ '신과 함께' 3 · 4 편도 내년말 동시 제작 한다. In: Yonhap . June 24, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018 (Korean).
  3. ^ Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017). In: Korean Film Biz Zone. KOFIC, accessed on November 23, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Jin Min-ji: Epic undertaking fails to impress: Fans of the 'Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds' webtoon may find the film to be overly sentimental. In: Korea JoongAng Daily . December 14, 2017, accessed November 25, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Pierce Conran: Review: ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE TWO WORLDS, Ambitious Fantasy Epic Indulges in Cheesy Backdrops and Melodrama. In: ScreenAnarchy. December 12, 2017, accessed November 24, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Elizabeth Kerr, 'Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds': Film Review. In: The Hollywood Reporter . January 3, 2018, accessed November 24, 2018 .
  7. ↑ James Marsh: Film review - Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds is a fun fantasy drama with spectacular effects and an all-star Korean cast. In: South China Morning Post . January 6, 2018, accessed November 25, 2018 .
  8. ↑ '1987' bags best film at KOFRA awards. In: International Business Times. January 31, 2018, accessed November 25, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Jin Min-ji: '1987' shines at Baeksang awards: The annual ceremony honors the best works in local film and television. In: Korea JoongAng Daily . May 5, 2018, accessed November 25, 2018 .
  10. ↑ (23rd 춘사 영화제 종합) '남한산성' 최우수 감독상 수상… 최희 서 11 관왕 달성. In: Naver . Herald Pop, May 18, 2018, accessed November 25, 2018 .
  11. ↑ '제 2 회 더 서울 어워즈' 10 월 27 일 개최, 드라마 - 영화 각 부문 별 후보 공개. In: Naver . iMBC , September 28, 2018, accessed November 25, 2018 .
  12. ↑ 제 39 회 청룡 영화상. In: Blue Dragon Awards. Retrieved November 24, 2018 (Korean).