The Battleship Island

A film set on an island during the Second World War. Hashima is a small island off the coast of Japan. There is a coal mine beneath it and the island is built entirely on that mine; from a distance it resembles a warship. In the period the film covers, Korean labourers work there. Most were brought with the promise of work; on arrival their papers are taken and there is no way back. The seams are narrow, hot and full of gas. The narrative follows several people: a bandleader who comes with his daughter, a street fighter and a member of a resistance organisation sent in secretly. The last of these has a task: to get an important figure held on the island out. As the end of the war approaches the island's administration takes a decision and the situation of the labourers gets worse. The last section describes an attempt at a mass escape. It was made on a large budget and the island was built as a full-scale set, one of the largest ever constructed in Korean cinema. Hwang Jung-min, So Ji-sub, Song Joong-ki and, as a small girl, Kim Su-an are in the cast. Ryoo Seung-wan directed. The film caused argument in Korea; its historical accuracy and the invention of some characters were criticised. An impressive choice for anyone who likes wartime drama and large-scale Korean productions. Before you watch, know this: the film shows violence and the conditions of forced labour directly.