The terse relationship between two rival neighboring countries, North and South Korea, has roots much deeper than mere ideological or geopolitical conflict. Even without going into the intricacies of the governance, it is fairly easy to recognize that both countries starkly differ from each other when it comes to the question of freedom of choice, which constitutes the core of the South Korean thriller drama Escape. Revolving around a North Korean military sergeant who tries to overcome impossible odds to escape from life on his side of the fence, Escape could have delved deeper into the themes of identity, freedom, morality, and the inherent despicable tendencies of the state, which treats its subjects as expendable resources. However, with an approach that veers more towards action-oriented spectacle instead of a nuanced, emotional portrayal of the subject, the movie fails to explore its full potential. Beautiful cinematography is a plus point of Escape, which was kind of unexpected given the tone and topic of the movie, although it can be treated as adding a contrasting effect to the narrative.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Kyu-nam’s First Escape Plan Fail?
Stationed at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) bordering South Korea, Lim Kyu-nam is a North Korean military sergeant who has spent a decade in the service and is about to get discharged soon. Lim had lost his father, who had passed away while serving the country, before getting roped into the state-ordained mandatory army service. A year ago, Lim lost his mother as well, and there is nothing left for him in his country, where freedom of choice is a distant memory. Listening to the songs on his radio broadcast from the other side of the fence, Lim dreams of escaping to his freedom and defecting to South Korea—and accordingly, sneaks out every night to make his way across the DMZ, through the minefield, to chart his map to reach the South Korean border. One day, one of Lim’s subordinates, Kim Dong-hyuk, who had witnessed him planning an escape for quite a long time, directly confronts him and requests his superior to take him as well. Kim’s family—his mother and sister—are living in South Korea, and he desperately wants to reunite with them. Not being sure whether Kim’s intentions are genuine or if he is a part of the state’s plan to catch possible defectors, Lim rebuffs his request. Lim has plans to escape within a few days, pinning his hopes on the forecast of a heavy downpour, which will affect the position of the landmines.
However, Lim’s plan goes down the gutter when the next night, Kim steals his map and makes a desperate attempt to escape through a different route. With the alarm set off, Lim diverts the attention of his platoon and tries to convince Kim to return to the base before it’s too late, to no avail. Eventually, both of them get captured and are tortured for attempted escape, and even though Kim takes the blame on himself, Lim remains captive on suspicion of assisting Kim.
Li Hyun-sang’s Obsession With Capturing Defectors
A state security officer, Li Hyun-sang, a terrifying, sadistic, eccentric individual whom even the army officers dare not oppose, is sent to assess the situation, and it is revealed that he had known Lim and his family since a young age. The situation regarding deserters in the military has been an irritable issue for the supreme leader of the country; therefore, to uphold a more favourable narrative to strengthen the state propaganda machine, Li straight up orders Lim to be hailed as a hero who had apprehended Kim, the deserter, in time.
Li takes Lim to a banquet, where Lim is honored for his ‘brave’ action of catching a possible defector, and Li reassigns him to a higher position in the army. Lim shares his dissatisfaction with Li over being pulled back into the force despite being so close to getting discharged and wishes to return to his base for one last time with the excuse of gathering his things. Li is well aware that Lim is attempting to escape, and he suggests his old friend accept his fate, which has been preordained by the state anyway. Li himself has been deprived of a life he desired much, as he reveals that he was in love with Seon Woo-min, a North Korean official also present at the party. While playing piano at the banquet, Li reminisces about the time he had spent with Seon while both were posted in Russia, but at the same time, he knows that he has to continue to perform the role the state expects him to, which makes the possibility of spending life with Seon a distant dream. There is no escape for Li from the shackles this life has put on him, and he is not willing to let anyone who dares to dream of escaping leave either.
Lim hastily makes a new plan to escape as he forges a transfer order and, taking a drunk official with him to aid his ruse, drives away in a jeep from the party. Throwing the official out of the jeep later, Lim tries to find a way to cross the border when he runs out of fuel and gets apprehended by prison officers posted in nearby Hyunpoong-ri station, who were passing by at that moment. Lim pretends to be a state security officer on a classified mission who is in the search of the collaborator of the deserter officer Kim, who is being held in the station at present. Lim is able to fool the station chief and takes Kim with him as he prepares to drive away to safety, but a suspicious Lieutenant Hong decides to tag along with them, taking an officer from the station as well. While driving through the bordering area, Lim’s lies get exposed rather quickly as Hong calls Li to validate his claims, and a scuffle ensues within the jeep, which results in the vehicle overturning. Li arrives at the location with his convoy and starts raining bullets upon Lim and Kim, who eventually manage to jump off a cliff and fall into the water. Li gets reprimanded by his superiors, and releasing his frustration upon Hong by killing him, he promises to make his old friend pay.
Was Lim Kyu-nam Able to Find His Freedom?
Lim and Kim get rescued by a tribe of female nomads, who have been evicted from their village by the army and, since then, formed an armed resistance against them. Initially, the nomads prepare to kill both of them, considering them to be part of the army, until Kim explains the situation and mentions being held in the Hyunpoong-ri police station. Turns out, Sang-gu, brother of a nomad woman, was captured by the army, and he is being held captive in the same station as well, and Kim recalls having met her brother as well. Kim provides them with the intel as to how they can sneak Sang-gu out of the prison, and later, as Li and his troop arrive at the location to kill Lim and Kim, the nomad women help them to escape by distracting the army.
After taking a detour through another military outpost, Kim and Lim once again reach the DMZ area and, obsessively on their trail, Li manages to successfully follow the duo as well. Li shoots Kim to death, and moments before meeting his end, he entrusts the necklace he had brought for his mother to Lim, hoping that he could give it to his mother if he eventually manages to escape to his freedom. Determined to write his own destiny and no longer be a slave to the state’s whims, Lim makes a daring attempt by running through the minefield, with Li madly chasing him all the while.
The next day, Lim almost reaches the South Korean border when Li catches up to him and tries to convince his friend to head back. Li warns Lim that, contrary to his assumption, South Korea might not be the paradise he had hoped for, and he might be ostracized for his background as well. Lim emphatically remarks that even if his decision turns out to be the wrong one, he is willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of choosing his own destiny. A scuffle ensues between the duo, and leaving an temporarily incapacitated Li behind, Lim rushes to the border and makes a call to the South Korean army to announce his defection. However, back on his feet, Li starts shooting at Lim like a mindless machine and manages to grievously injure him before he crosses the border. His duty towards the nation he serves forbids him from assisting a deserter at any cost, and he once again catches up to an injured Lim in no time. As he proceeds to deliver the killing shot to his friend, Li goes through a change of heart, seeing how desperate Lim is to get even a brief glimpse of his freedom.
In Escape’s ending, Li himself cannot hope to escape the oppressive structure put into place by the state. However, in the end, he allows his friend, Lim, to live his dream—and ends up sparing his life. The South Korean army reaches the border and takes Lim to safety, and Li returns to his post thereafter. Back in the base, Li revisits his friendship with Lim as he finds a copy of Roald Amundsen’s “Tenacious Explorers,” Lim’s favorite book, which he had gifted to Li, his ‘Piano Bro’. With a heavy heart and a smile on his face, Li starts reading, perhaps hoping he too could find solace by taking inspiration from escaping from the book written by the famous explorer. A year later, Lim is living happily on the other side of the fence in South Korea and recently has managed to start a career as a travel agent as well. Visiting Kim’s family, Lim gives the necklace to Kim’s mother and lies to Kim’s family, mentioning Kim is happily serving in the army on the other side of the border. Sometimes, a hopeful lie is much more valuable than the tragic truth.Â
