A Waltz With The Golden Bear

Coincidently, the first film I saw at Berlinale also delved into the issue of illegal immigration. After missing a plane and a bus; dashing through airports, anti-Nazi protests and underground train stations; I finally made it to Berlin and by 9am on a Sunday morning, I was dying to plunge head first into the festival. With no set agenda, I walked into the first screening I could find…

‘Dooman River’ took me all the way to the snowy border between China and North Korea. A sobering depiction of poverty and desperation, this quiet film takes place in a small traditional Chinese village, which receives a stream of illegal immigrants from North Korea crossing the frozen Dooman River in search of food. When local Chinese boy Chang-Ho meets a young North Korean immigrant who has recently crossed the border with his ill sister; friendship becomes a complex affair.

In the Korean/German/English discussion that followed the film, director Lu Zhang described illegal immigration in the region as an escalating phenomenon. His intention was to make a film that explores the impact on families; as the world gets darker, parents become less capable of sheltering their children from what they shouldn’t have to deal with.

Whilst this film doesn’t inspire a lot of hope, it does manage to infuse a sense of lightness in many of its characters; the adulterous mayor who makes quirky announcements to the town over a big speaker; the precocious shopkeeper’s daughter who bosses the seniors about and frequently propositions the ‘cutest boy in the village.’

Using local villagers instead of professional actors, the film manages to climb out of its initial self-consciousness and settle into an honest and poignant rhythm. Effectively, the film unmasks a seemingly alien culture, presenting it as something we recognise as universally human. Zhang also explores the origins and evolution of racism, even amongst a group of people with the same origins, separated merely by a frozen river.

Interestingly, this film was a co-production between Korea and France- and between this film and Phillipe Lioret's 'Welcome'- it's clear that the two countries have a lot to share and confront in terms dealing with illegal immigration. So if this beautiful and powerful little film makes it to a festival or cinema near you- be sure not to miss it.