If you expected a nature documentary with flocks of waterbirds, you will immediately feel cheated by this film. ‘Migratory bird’ in this film refers to Koreans residing abroad, going through a special procedure for college entrance.

These applicants migrate into Korea every year, and the director, himself a ‘migratory bird’, produced this film to correct the misperception of people like himself, and to let people know about the difficulties these youngsters have to face. Through interviews and narration, the film reveals their hardships that are easily overlooked by onlookers, and their honest voices touch our hearts. Some of them live in China and have to study for TOEFL and SAT to go to Korean universities. Others face two-fold difficulties of studying for Chinese schoolwork and preparing for the special entrance requirements. And still others find out it is almost impossible for them to follow their preferred path in the fields of art and sports. Haven’t we been too indifferent to such difficulties? In particular, the director strongly refutes the idea that Koreans living abroad can enter so-called ‘prestigious universities’ with relative ease. This is a comprehensive guide into the uncharted world of the ‘migratory birds’, and a call for us to listen to what they have to say. (KANG Seol-hwa)