For The President's Barber to be truly effective, knowledge of Korea and it's political history is a must. It would probably help to clarify story details as well as some of the humour. It was a fairly interesting watch and one with an excellent performance by Song Kang-ho.… More
For The President's Barber to be truly effective, knowledge of Korea and it's political history is a must. It would probably help to clarify story details as well as some of the humour. It was a fairly interesting watch and one with an excellent performance by Song Kang-ho. His facial expressions are enough to bring laughter to a fairly uneven film. The film often struggles in juggling it's sweet, everyman story with that of a political satire. One moment we are laughing as a boy is 'tortured', and see him light up a room of electrical equipment. The next scene has him dumped on the street, unable to walk...? It was confusing and kind of hard to take seriously. There's a lot to be gained from viewing this film though. Whether it be a few laughs, a peak at Korean history or just some wonderful performances.