Welcome to Dongmakgol

For anyone who grew up on *M*A*S*H* or is interested in Korea, this film gives a Korean perspective on the Korean war. As a tragic comedy, this film gave me both humor and a somber look at a country divided in two. Although the Shangrilah-esque town of Dongmakgol is fictional, the setting draws a clear contrast between the truly idyllic Korean countryside and the ravages of war. The film reveals the ludicrousness of one people torn on two and fighting against themselves without really even knowing why.There is some anti-American bias in the film, but this also makes the film unique in Korean culture since most people here in Korea typically see Americans as having helped South Korea, which is partially true. However, American officials were the ones to decide (without consulting Koreans) where to divide Korea in two and in fact the USA was primarily fighting in Korea not to help Koreans but to establish a foothold in Asia against the former communist USSR.Summary: a great, film that's at once hilarious and heart-rending. This film can be enjoyed by the whole family, although there are perhaps a combined 5-10 minutes of violence at two times in the film.

A friend recommended this movie to me and I'm glad I listened to her. I watched this with a friend who is unfamiliar with Korean culture and he enjoyed it as well. A smart dialogue accompanied with some truly beautiful panning shots of the mounatains and the fields added a tounch of sincerity and truthfulness to it, mirroring the nature of the village itself. Its a really good comedy burdened by the weight of reality.At times, the visual effects arent 100% convincing but overall they're pretty good. The american actor in the movie did a pretty bad job in my opinion but luckily he doesnt play a large role in the movie.As a Korean and a soldier serving in Iraq, this movie really hit home for me. To see the struggles of soldiers and the issues they face framed in a different background was entertaining and a personal experience.Just a wonderful film. Definitely worth watching.

Well done but just could not go 5 stars. Funny interactions that you would not expect.

Fantastic and fantastical. The small village of Dongmakgol (south of Shangri-la and east of Brigadoon )lives in secluded bliss. Only the intrusion of Korean soldiers both North and South plus an American pilot shake the place up. Even these combatants are changed by the peace and people there. Outstanding acting of Kung Hyejung(from Oldboy) as an odd girl of the village. Also Jung Jaeyoung as a Noth Korean soldier. All the unusual elements one expects from a Korean film. With an especially maudlin yet apt ending. Long for some at 133 mins. but to me the time just flows away easily. If you like the unique and odd this is for you. A worthy and "welcome" take on a war movie.

I just loved this movie. I could watch movies like this one all the time. Foreign movies are the best. The characters did an excellent job. Full of emotions & makes me feel like it really did happen at some time. I just loved it. Thank you, NN

Korean movies seem to have a special talent for blending comedy and drama and this is one of the better examples. A remote village that knows nothing of the war or even guns is suddenly drawn into the conflict after wandering soldiers from all three sides (North, South and U.S.) find themselves together in the small village. They slowly make peace among themselves but grow protective of the villagers when it is threatened by the war (the Americans are seen as the bad guys at this point).Character development is excellent and the bitter sweet tale brings smiles and tears.

its so. SO good. :(

I really enjoyed the overall plot, with the bonding of men from different sides of the war and this odd oasis of a village free from the drama of the war ... but the military details were just too bad to give this a great review. From the technical details of the uniforms, aircraft and weapons being wrong to the fact that the "Americans" or "UN" or whomever wouldnt have expended an entire squad for one pilot, to the idea of the bombing raid or the distraction from it... these pieces really detracted from the movie. They could've shown troops moving into the area without the contrived, "war mongering," stereotypical "we'll kill anyone and we dont care" aspects. War is bad enough without the caricatures, and using those really cheapened the drama of the movie to me.

A beautiful existential study on the war between North and South Korea from the viewpoint of soldiers from all sides coming together to try and save a small mountain village representing perhaps an idealistic simple and happy life they would ultimately prefer. Real or fantasy: it is up to the viewer to decide. Will not disappoint.

Very funny and moving film in the same vein as Heavenly Soldiers. South and North Korean soldiers trown together in a small isolated village where the villagers have no idea about the war and the differnt factions. It doesn't take long before the soldiers succumbs to the naive charm of the villagers and the much easier way of life. Many enjoyable moments and I kept hoping that end would be more sweet than bittersweet.I throughly enjoyed this film and will definitely watch it again.

In den Wirren des Koreakrieges im Jahre 1950 trifft eine kleine Gruppe nordkoreanischer Soldaten zufällig auf den südkoreanischen Feind. Da dieses Treffen im kleinen, abgeschiedenen und verträumten Dorf Dongmakgol stattfindet, kommt es jedoch nicht zum Blutvergiessen. Das Dorf weit ab von Zertörung, Tod und Leid des Krieges bietet den eigentlich verfeindeten Soldaten die Möglichkeit, nüchtern und neutral auf ihre Situation zu blicken und lockert so die festgefahrenen und gedrillten Vorurteile über den anderen Landesbruder auf. Der Krieg ist jedoch nicht so fern wie die Soldaten und Dorfbewohner vermuten.Welcome To Dongmakgol ist ein weiterer Film der auf die Problematik der Teilung Koreas eingeht, ohne dabei jedoch vorwurfsvoll mit dem Finger auf eine der beteiligten Parteien zu zeigen. Es wird deutlich wie sinnfrei der Krieg zwischen Nord und Süd ist.Obwohl auch deutliche Kriegsszenen zu sehen sind, spielt der Hauptteil des Films im Dorf Dongmakgol mit seinen teilweise naiven Bewohnern. Der Humor kommt nicht zu kurz. Eine weitere Besonderheit des Films ist die musikalische Untermalung des japanischen Komponisten Joe Hisaishi, welcher bereits in Filmen wie Hana-Bi oder den Filmen von Miyazaki sein Können unter Beweiss stellte.Ein sehr guter Film, bei dem mir vor allem die Rolle der jungen Schauspielerin Kang Hye-jeong (Oldboy) im Gedächnis geblieben ist. Er ist ausserdem ein Beispiel dafür, dass Antikriegsfilme durchaus auch ohne großartige Schlachtszenen auskommen können.

Very nice movie and quite moving, too. The clash between two worlds, those at war and those in peace, is very well made. Surprisingly, the peaceful ones expand their ground while those at war question their ways, but History does not wait for them.

This is a re-packaging of Welcome to Dongmakgol, presumably to try to mis-sell it as a war film, which it is and it isn't. You're probably looking for another Korean war epic, as was I. Cheap enough to take a punt right? Well, go for it! This is a unique comedy melodrama with a few bits of decent action to drive the narrative. Doesn't sound promising does it? But this film is just wonderful! Unique, funny, intelligent, compelling! Everthing that most Hollywood films aren't. JUST BUY IT!