Movie Recommendation - A Taxi Driver (2017)

Living in Naju, I had heard and seen things relating to the Gwangju Uprising or May 18th Democratic Uprising, but I had never put much thought into understanding it. That was, not until a new movie, A Taxi Driver, came into theaters during mid 2017. In school during this time I had been practicing the phrases, "My favorite ____ is ____." and " I like ____." with my students. That is when suddenly, it seemed like every 5th grade student's answer to, "What is your favorite movie?" was"Taxi Driver! My favorite movie is Taxi Driver."

After hearing how great the movie was from several dozen students, I was curious what the movie was about so I asked another teacher. This teacher simply told me that the movie took place in Gwangju, which was why the student's liked it. I figured it must've just been some type of action movie that was filmed there. I thought, the students like it because it is set close to home, in places they've probably seen before.

I decided that if my students loved it so much that I should give the movie a chance. That way I could impress them by telling them that I had seen it too. So, I patiently waited for the movie to be released with decent English subtitles somewhere online for me to watch.

Finally after a long wait I found the movie and was able to watch it. It was only then that I realized it was far from the type of action movie I had been expecting. I couldn't understand why all my students loved the movie so much. Sure, the movie was fantastic and moving and had great cinematography, but it didn't seem like the type of movie a 5th grade student would be obsessed about.

This is because it is a historical movie and based on a true story. Obviously the movie can't recreate exactly what really happened, but it can give the viewers an idea. The movie was, at least for me, incredibly sad (I cried). The movie was very moving and opened my eyes to what the situation had been like in Gwangju really not all that long ago, it made me appreciate the history of the city more. It was especially striking for me because several scenes in the movie took place in areas where I had been before. I had stood in those very places, but never thought about or realized the history that had taken place there in the past. After seeing the movie, I grew more interested in the history of the area near where I lived. I even visited the 5/18 museum in downtown Gwangju to learn more about the history of what had happened there.

The movie itself gives some insight into that particular moment in history, along with its own story as well. The acting was fantastic and the scenes were steeped with imagery and feelings of moral responsibility. It is one of those movies that sometimes makes you feel like you owe it to yourself to make a greater difference in the world. Overall this movie makes it up there to the higher rankings of favorite Korean movies I've seen.

I still would like to visit other historically significant areas of Gwangju in relation to this event, as well as watch other Korean films that are related to it. I also definitely would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to appreciate and understand a part of Gwangju's past.