A Taxi Driver: watch it cause the title just made you not want to (택시 운전사)
“A Taxi Driver” and then you see the smiling face on the movie posters and you just think: this is going to be a slice-of-life movie about a taxi driver. Then, you hear that “it’s a good movie” and that it has high ratings (currently has a 95/89% critic/user rating on RottenTomatoes).
It’s about modern Korean history, right? As an American, should I watch it?Yes, 100% yes. As an American, in this moment in history, you should definitely watch it.
This story takes place in 1980 during a democratic uprising in Gwangju, a smaller city a few hours south of Seoul. Korea’s (some would say benevolent) dictator of 18 years had been assassinated nearly a year prior and in the aftermath, a military coup d’etat occurred. This uprising in Gwangju would be the start of the Koreans’ decade-long fight for democracy.
So, why should you watch this?
- To feel, deep in your core, the sacrifices it took to enact democracies around the world; perhaps even a reminder of the sacrifices it took for our democracy to exist (The Revolutionary War).
- To understand that it takes the sacrifice of normal, everyday people, like taxi drivers — like you and me, to stand up to injustice.
There are these moments, where the director subtly puts you in the characters’ shoes. There is massive injustice, people being murdered in cold blood, right in front of you. What do you do? As you see your fellow citizens being mowed down…I should rescue them, right? But can I? Will I just die meaninglessly in the process? Is it worth it for my humanity…
The other words that bubble up are love & grace. Sacrifice feels too light of a word considering the levity of their actions, cause here, when the going gets tough, people give of themselves completely & selflessly. It’s never easy, though. You can see the characters struggling with it, but in the end, they weigh their value in relation to the greater good of their people…and they choose the people.
It makes you starting asking yourself questions like, “Is my democracy worth fighting for? Are my rights worth fighting for?
…am I just fighting for myself or am I fighting for my rights, for the greater good?”
What we have to understand is that those in power want us to be selfish. It’s the way that they stay in power. If something’s wrong, it’s your fault; if something’s going well, it’s your effort. Ask yourself what our society would look like if we all just lived selfishly.
OVERALL SCORE: 8.5
- STORY: 8.0/10
- DIRECTING: 9.0/10
- WRITING: 8.5/10
- LEAD Actors: 8.5/10
- SUPPORTING Cast: 9.5/10
- CINEMATOGRAPHY: 9.0/10
- MUSIC: Soundtrack was well utilized++
- WATCH again with future spouse? 7/10
The run down: Top marks for showing the story through emotional investments more than by telling it through words.
