This film begins in Filial Impiety Hell. I wrote it down immediately because I knew I’d never keep that in my mind for over two hours of Korean film. What do you suppose goes on in Filial Impiety Hell? Repeated scoldings from every single one of your deceased ancestors? Endless replays of The Great Santini and Mommie Dearest? Or is it just one large hospice waiting room? Today’s film wasn’t so concerned about describing the Hells as getting us from one to another. During the picture, we go from Betrayal Hell to Injustice Hell to Violence Hell to Murder Hell. Thankfully, we miss out on Telemarketer Hell, Troll Hell, and People-Who-Don’t-Signal-When-They-Drive Hell. I can live with Filial Impiety Hell, but please, please, please God Almighty, please don’t lump me in with the non-signalers.
I don’t envy Korean Hell; there seems like an awful lot of judging going on, and a fair number of misplaced souls. However, it seems like everybody gets an advocate and there is a chance at redemption. Sure, it involves 1,000 years of soul-saving, but what’s the point of making it easy to redeem the really bad stuff?
Gang-lim (Jung-woo Ha), Hae Won-maeg (Ji-Hoon Ju), and Lee Deog-chun (Hyang-gi Kim) are, for lack of better word, reapers. There are a lot of translations issues in this film, beginning with the title, Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days, which makes zero sense in English. I think “49 Souls” is more accurate, cuz Gang-lim has gotta save 49 eternal souls before he gets another chance at reincarnation. Just so happens, we are now at #49 in the person of Gim Su-hong (Dong-wook Kim) a military man wrongfully taken too early. Man, Korean Hell is tough … you gotta prove your own death was wrongful? Yikes. Reaper Gang-lim is willing to put his own soul on the line, which judge #1 digs, but adds, “While you’re busy proving your case, you also have to reap a House God” (Dong-seok Ma, the hero of the arm-wrestling film, Champion).
Which task is easier? Hard to say. Gim Su-Hong seems in no hurry to get eternal justice. In fact his interplay traveling through Hells with Gang-lim is the best part of the film. Gang-lim is cautious on their journey; I mean it’s Hell and all. Gim Su-Hong, however, blithely mentions that nothing scares him, hence Hell has nothing to offer. “Oh yeah,” Gim suddenly recalls, “There is something that scares me. Do you remember Jurassic Park?” No sooner are the words said than a velociraptor appears. As Gim describes raptor attributes, they come to life as well. “Oh yes, they’re pack hunters, too.” Many raptors appear and start hunting the two. Welcome to Hell.
Meanwhile, on the plane of normal existence, House God doesn’t want to go without a fight; that sucks, cuz Dong-seok
Ma is the size of a battleship. Like his role in Champion, however, Dong-seok is more of a gentle giant, much more interested in educating his reapers than fighting them. “Do you know how you got to be reapers? It started 1,000 years ago. I was there.” And if you think it’s confusing when a South Korean film set in multi-level Hell and modern Earth suddenly delves into a mysterious storyline 1,000 years old, you would be 100% correct.
Yes, it took me two full hours to understand what was going on in Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days. I was prepared to dislike this film. A lot. Heck, I’ve hated films for title alone that had better titles than this one. But you know what? When I finally around to figuring out the what? and why? Totally worth it. This is a film that really understands eternal damnation which, I daresay, is a fairly important topic for a number of folks out there. Now … how you find this film if it didn’t come to a theater near you? Damned if I know.
♪Raindrops from wet dogs
And upchuck from kittens
Scalding hot metal and cooking from Britons
Brown-colored substances starting to smell
These are all levels of Korean Hell
Big bossman cronies and friendship betrayal
“Dear Woo-jin” letters come straight to your mail
Kim Jong and his son where nasty thing dwell
These are all levels of Korean Hell♫
Not Rated, 142 Minutes
Director: Yong-hwa Kim
Writer: Yong-hwa Kim
Genre: Eternal redemption/damnation – chose well!
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Clarence Odbody
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Unrepentant sinners
♪ Parody Inspired by “My Favorite Things”
