Before the Call

Fulfilling one’s military obligations can be a daunting prospect, especially in times of open conflict. It places great strain on those called upon to serve, weighing heavily on their minds both personally and in terms of their civic duties. But, even with full awareness of those considerations, that knowledge may not make facing the obligation any easier, a conundrum addressed in writer-director James Choi’s “Before the Call” (“Bureum Jeone”). When Korean-American Jinwoo (Andy Koh) returns to his home in Seoul after a stay in the US, he’s faced with fulfilling his mandatory requirement for serving in the military. It comes at a time when tensions between the two Koreas have grown and the threat of wider global engagements has intensified. Needless to say, those conditions have given him pause for concern. But there’s more to his apprehension than just the possibility of going into battle. He’s unsure whether this is the right step for him personally. Jinwoo has apparently grown accustomed to living comfortably while stateside and seems wary of the demanding discipline about to be imposed on him, as becomes apparent when discussing the specifics of that adjustment with a friend (Seong-Guk Ha). And this concern, in turn, helps rekindle issues that have quietly but undeniably simmered in his relationship with his father (Gwang-Rok Oh), a former soldier who has apparently long harbored reservations about whether his son would be capable of living up to the demands of fulfilling his military obligations. Jinwoo is also conflicted about his feelings for leaving behind a potential romantic interest, Minji (So-Yi Kang), with whom he has just recently reconnected after his long absence while living abroad. As a consequence, he anxiously assesses if he’s up to what lies ahead, despite his desire to be a compliant citizen and to prove that he can live up to his father’s expectations. And, to be sure, these impending adjustments are all truly noteworthy considerations. However, the film’s treatment of these issues could have been handled more effectively. Much of the narrative consists of a series of conversations between the protagonist and his familiars, and much of the content of those discussions is repetitive and circular. It doesn’t make for especially engaging cinema, particularly with all of the redundancies involved, even with the picture’s scant 61-minute runtime. The nature of the conflict that provides the backdrop for this story isn’t well developed, either, feeling as though the filmmaker is dancing around the subject, never really committing to a definitively delineated scenario. This is not to suggest that the film doesn’t broach important issues; it does. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t address them very well, and that’s regrettable, especially for anyone facing the call who might be looking to a picture like this to offer meaningful insights during what has to be a difficult time, one that’s likely to be as much of a conflict as the looming combat that’s lying in wait.