Today's song is the main theme to the 2005 Korean movie, "Welcome to Dongmakgol". The movie's soundtrack is composed by none other than Joe Hisaishi, the Japanese composer behind every one of Hayao Miyazaki's animated masterpieces at Studio Ghibli, as well as some other notable scores, like the soundtrack to the Academy Award winning movie, "Departures". Joe Hisaishi is one of what I call "The Four 'J's" of movie soundtracks; my favorite film composers: John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner and Joe Hisaishi. Maybe I just like him because he shares my name (Joe, not Hisaishi), but his music is consistently beautiful and incredibly moving at times. I had the privilege of seeing "Welcome to Dongmakgol" at the New York Asian Film Festival in 2006 - my first time at the annual event. It tells the story of a comically isolated village on the North/South Korean border during the civil war there in 1950. Soldiers from both sides, along with one American, find themselves stranded in the village and must either form a truce, or face starvation as winter approaches. Although humorous at times, the movie becomes deadly serious as the two sides realize that their new home is a target for American air forces.
This is obviously one of Joe Hisaishi's lesser known works since it's not from Studio Ghibli, or even from Japan, but you can see why the director chose him for the job. Hisaishi's soundtracks specialize in the realms of wonder and fantasy, and the style works here: Dongmakgol is a village outside of time, where peace persists despite violence and unimaginable cruelty raging outside. The main theme, which recurs frequently, perfectly conveys the bittersweetness of the village, whose innocence is marred by (but also transformative for) their new friends. Structurally, the theme is gorgeous, building on its crescendo multiple times before a cathartic conclusion. I'd be lying if I said the song has never brought a tear to my eye, especially after seeing the equally beautiful movie. Korea is a broken family, ripped open by war, and sometimes it takes a work of art to remind us of a real world tragedy.
Album info:
http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/title/73816/Welcome+To+Dongmakgol
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