SEPTEMBER 28 — I never thought I would ever like a horror movie. In fact I haven’t seen one in umpteen years; the last time I remembered was peeping in between my fingers at Count Dracula aka Christopher Lee. Honestly I’d rather gawk at a super-hero hunk anytime. But my no.2 princess mentioned how good Train To Busan was... and that coming from another ‘peep-er’ like me aroused my curiosity. Besides all the reviews were good. And since I have never seen any of those highly-rated Korean dramas that apparently have got so many raving fans, I figured now was as good a time as any to get a little, albeit slightly different, taste of it at the cinema.
Actually I have to confess I still don’t like horror movies, whether it’s Count Dracula with his classic incisors, or the Chinese ‘ever-green’ white-sheeted ghost, or the typical Malay pontianak with long black hair from the days of P. Ramlee, or zombies lurching around with open bleeding mouths creating havoc on a train filled with hysterical passengers. So on that count, I really don’t care for the zombie-infected army spilling all over the Train to Busan. I kept my focus concentrated on the sub-titles instead, and when the scenes got too gory or bloody, I simply shut my eyes, which was pretty much half the time.
Reviewers have drawn it variously as “an allegory of class rebellion and moral polarisation”, a “political commentary overtly referencing the country’s response to the MIERS virus outbreak and class warfare”. Indeed it may be all that. But for me, the movie works because the reactions of the different characters stuck on a train full of zombies out for blood are so reflective of the human race. It’s not about Koreans, it’s not even about zombies at all. The zombies are just there to expose the motives of man’s hearts when confronted with situations that call for personal sacrifice. It’s just fictitious zombies in the movie; but it could very well be something as real as running into a burning house to save 1 occupant, or taking the bullet in the line of battle to defend the country. To stretch it further, it could even be putting aside personal rights for the sake of others who are not of our same skin-color, whose views are different from ours, whom we may disagree with or even dislike. Would we lay down our lives so that others — no matter who — can live? Can we Malaysians, despite all our cultural, racial and political differences/prejudices (and let’s not deny we all have them), come to a point where we would choose to “ Love our enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44) Those, by the way, are the divine commandments of Jesus.
Kudos to the director’s skill, positioning a child’s innocence to bring out the innate selfishness of all mankind. The father typifies the ‘too busy to care much’ human being, so caught up in the dog-eat-dog world he thinks it’s stupid to give up one’s chair for an old lady, since his number one rule for survival is look out for yourself, not others. Taken to extreme by another character who incites others to refuse rescue of the little band of survivors who had managed to get to their compartment, it highlights self-preservation at its ugliest.
But the truth is that doesn’t only happen in the movies; it really is human nature. The real horror in the show isn’t the zombies, it’s the humans. When push comes to shove, none of us are saints. We don’t need a zombie attack for that self(ish) instinct to kick in... just watch drivers on the road or people rushing for freebies at any event. It’s every man/woman for him/herself. Too bad about the disadvantaged, the weak, the minority or those who get in the way. I gotta take care of me, my and mine first, so it becomes acceptable, even logical to shut out or even kick out others to preserve ourselves. There are actually people so wrapped up in themselves they see nothing wrong with purposely putting another human being in mortal danger or manipulating frightened people into a mean nasty mob.
Perhaps it’s a bit too ‘pat’ when such folks get their ‘come-uppance’, still like the saying goes, “what goes around comes around”. Or as the bible puts it, we reap what we sow. I am sure many in the audience wanted to clap when the selfish gang got literally snapped up by zombies in the end. I am also sure everyone wanted the survivors to make it. But this wasn’t a typical “and they lived happily ever after fairy-tale”. Instead the movie used death to make the point that some things in life are actually worth dying for. Like love, and not just for our nearest and dearest, but for the ones we may not even like at all. As Jesus taught, If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that?... If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? (Matthew 5:46-47)
So we see how the 2 heroes who started out somewhat antagonistic end up working together to save the helpless in the group. We see that the dirty, down-n-out, despised and rejected homeless man can possess a much nobler spirit than the one dressed in a fancy business suit. We see the ardent passion of youths who would rather die together than be separated. And of course it tugs at our guts to see men giving up their own lives for the sake of a pregnant wife and a young kid.
But isn’t that supposed to be the way it should be? The only thing that can redeem mankind isn’t to be found in a ‘correct’ political system, a ‘fair/just’ government, or an ‘ideal’ philosophy of life. It’s not about charity or religion. All that is good and dandy, but the real heart of the matter starts very simply from the heart — why we do what we do. As Apostle Paul puts it: If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) In short, all the good that we do is good for nothing if it’s not done out of love.
Like the hero whose final memory is of holding his new-born baby, when we breathe our last on earth, if we have love to hold and remember, we will count as worth it the inevitable pain, hurt and suffering that comes as a very real risk of loving and giving ourselves away. I like how the movie elevates the ordinary guy; anyone can be a super-hero in loving others. You don’t need to be clever, rich, strong or handsome. You don’t need to come from a certain background, be of a certain race or hold a certain position…. You just need the right heart.
As if the long drawn-out battle with zombies isn’t enough, the movie sets us up for yet another last battle for the survivors, this time with their own kind — humans. We expect zombies to kill humans, but for humans to kill humans? And to really sink in the horror of it all, the director uses just a disembodied voice over the walkie-talkie ordering a soldier on site to shoot 2 obviously helpless individuals — a pregnant female and a child. We are kept on edge as the gun is trained on the targets walking out of the dark tunnel into the light. Will he shoot? — What a waste if he shoots...
The finale was so fitting — a song from a broken heart saves the day. I didn’t understand the words, but there was no need for translation... the tears spoke volumes about a love that sacrifices all. And that’s what stuck with me as the lights came on in the cinema...that the worst horrors of humankind could be redeemed. The bible says it in three little words — Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8)
* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
