We Didn’t Start the Fire is a raw depiction of the current state of score high-in-the-pointless-studies Korean education system. At first, the camera portrays unhappy students who are miserable living in a competitive society that only values their GPA and CSAT scores. The camera follows a student home to show studying is tough for everyone. Worried about her daughter’s scores, a mom explains the importance of the college entrance exam to her daughter who is tired of studying. The mom says in order to live a comfortable live, the daughter needs to get a good score and attend a good university. The daughter listens to the mother’s point of view and fully understands her. However, trying to understand reality is suffocating.

Studying for the college entrance exams is contradictory for the daughter to accept. This story about high school seniors who are suffering from the college entrance competition reflects the tribulations of all high school seniors. If the reality of taking a test to get a full-time job at a regular company is just as difficult as the public servant exam, then the students are voluntarily choosing to study to become a public servant. Living in a competitive society, the students cannot help but study for another entrance exam. We Didn’t Start the Fire asks our society whether or not we are the ones who are forcing the students into competition. (SEONG Da-eun)