Dooman River

Chang-ho, who is twelve, becomes friends with a boy of about his own age. That boy has just come from North Korea, across the Dooman river that forms the border between the two countries. Chang-ho’s sister, who cannot speak, and his grandfather are inside the story as well. The crossings back and forth over the border bring one misfortune after another. The film shows the border not as an extraordinary place but as part of ordinary life. A friendship made by children being tested by the fears of adults is the real subject. That it grows unclear who is a fugitive and who is a neighbour carries the story. The account passes no judgement; it shows what happens. Cui Jian and Jinglin Li appear in Zhang Lu’s ninety one minute film, a joint French, South Korean and American production, completed in 2010.