KIM Seoyun
World Premiere
Students talked freely about uniform in front of the camera. The uniform we wear over 12 hours a day, in our daily life is uncomfortable. The blouse that has no difference with children¡¯s wear, the skirt that limits our movements and those shirts, stockings, and drawers we wear to supplement the uniform is uncomfortable. We require a comfortable uniform, various right of choice for a comfortable school life.
When girls raise a question about their uniforms, they're not just complaining about inconvenience. Rather, they put up a resistance against the long-term control and surveillance imposed upon the female body through discipline. Their interviews are closely linked to the struggle against oppressive inequality suffered by women in Korean today. Considering that most youth films do not deviate far from exemplary conclusions favored by grown-ups, the interviews in this short documentary are quite shocking. Some may disparage the film as nothing more than a video clip mechanically shot with a mobile phone. However, even if their opinions rely on anonymity, they are nothing short of a documentary since they express a desire to generate change through an awareness of reality - the fundamental purpose of a documentary. When one boy tries on a girl¡¯s uniform it becomes clear that sexual objectification through popular culture doesn¡¯t just concern girls but is a problem related to the form of control and discipline operating in Korean society. [PARK Busik]
KIM Seoyun
Disarming Project (2018)