I saw a Korean movie called Tunnel (2016). It was very successful at the Korean box office, which explains why it came to CGV Cinema in the U.S. The movie is about a car salesman (Jungsoo) who is driving home to his wife and kid to celebrate the kid’s birthday. He has a birthday cake and a couple of water bottles in his car. To head home, he drives through Hado Tunnel, but the tunnel collapses and traps him in his car. Eventually, after many weeks, Jungsoo is freed from the wreckage, barely alive. I think the reason this movie was so popular and well-received was because of the social and political commentary the movie was making toward Korean politicians and media in regards to how those two groups publicize tragic events or news stories to gain popularity. In the movie, the politicians and news crews were more concerned with playing up the tragic aspects of the accident, rather than focusing on saving Jungsoo.
I think I would show this movie to my students if we were critically analyzing how media can distort the truth. There have been a lot of “fake news” claims since the recent election, and showing my students the scene in this movie where the local news stations and politicians skew the actual story of Jungsoo, can be a stepping off point for us to have a discussion about how media and political agendas can affect news stories.
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