Nekoli chopyong

Although the plot is at times quite vague, this is a very interesting film just purely because it isn't how I expected North Korean media to be. While there are times when it feels like watching a public service announcement, most of the film is quite light hearted and there are even a few funny scenes. The music is nice and the overall tone is best described as "relaxing", the sort of thing you'd put on when you've got a cold or you're home alone for the day.

A TRAFFIC CONTROLLER ON CROSSROADS is a largely dull and uninteresting North Korean drama. Despite the presence of a few comedic scenes here and there, this is a heavy-handed and lifeless effort that's easily surpassed by many of the other North Korean movies I've watched beforehand (like the same decade's A BROAD BELLFLOWER).

The general storyline involves the whims and life of a young and attractive female traffic controller who becomes involved with a guy who speeds around in his van. He's brought to the office for ticketing, but it soon transpires that his situation is more complex than originally thought, leading to something of a moral dilemma for our heroine.

The production values and performances aren't too shabby here, it's the script which is devoid of incident and intrigue. You just don't get a chance to empathise with any of the characters. On the plus side, it's only on for an hour.

One particularly remarkable feature about the capitol of North Korea (Pyongyang) is the manner in which traffic is controlled. For several reasons the leadership prefers to have highly trained personnel guide traffic at all major crossroads in lieu of traffic signals. Now while that might not seem highly unusual, what is unique about this situation is the fact that the people chosen to perform this task consist entirely of attractive young ladies wearing immaculate uniforms. And they perform their duties in a highly competent and almost robotic fashion. Although probably not initially intended for foreign audiences this movie captures this quaint slice of North Korean society through the eyes of a recently promoted captain named "Un Suk" (Ri Sol Hee) who is responsible for Post #15. Since working there she has noticed two specific drivers who appear to have little regard for traffic regulations. The first is a man named "Gyong Chan" (Ko Sam He) who drives a van for a wholesale food distributor. The other driver goes by the name of "Nam Chol" (Ri Song Il) and he happens to be the chauffeur for the head of the nation's research institute. As it so happens Gyong Chan is stopped by Un Suk for careless driving and given a ticket even though he is unofficially helping Un Suk's mother at the time. However, Gyong Chan doesn't know that Un Suk is the daughter of the woman he is helping and she isn't aware that her mother asked Gyong Chan for a favor. In the meantime, while Un Suk is issuing a citation to Gyong Chan in her office, a subordinate guard brings in Nam Chol for speeding. Once again there are special circumstances with this particular person and Un Suk as well. However, rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk ruining it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a delightful little Comedy-Drama which manages to serve as a public service announcement in the process. Also worth mentioning is the fact that the North Korean film industry is still in its infancy and as a result some allowances should probably be made. Be that as it may, while this movie certainly won't win any academy awards and it was definitely a bit corny, I personally found it to be somewhat entertaining in a B-movie sort of way and as a result I give it a rating of average.