by Andy Marra


Subway Cinema's New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF)

South Korean history in the 1970’s is colored by a ruthless military dictatorship, its obsession with economic development and growing social unrest. The decade was ushered in by Park Chung Hee’s stifling conservatism that readily churned out government propaganda to shepherd the masses and worked quickly to silence anything – or anyone – deemed subversive. Despite the Park regime’s heavy hand, it feared losing control due to outside cultural influences especially from its U.S. allies and their military presence.

And this is the backdrop of “Go Go 70s”, a Choi Ho film that tells the true story of how soul music conquered a repressed Seoul. The film opens with riveting propaganda (you can sample some here and here) praising the “New Village Movement” and South Korea’s singular focus to achieve economic dominance. We are then introduced to San-Gyu (Jo Seung-Woo) and Man-Sik (Cha Seung-Woo) that play country songs for American G.I.s in a drunken stupor. Their frustration with playing lifeless country tunes is paired with a passion for soul music brought over by African-American troops.

The no nonsense bar hand Mimi (Shin Min-Ah) is firm with her beliefs in their soul music and inevitable rise to fame. Soon after, San-Gyu forms the Devils band and the newly formed group travels to Seoul to enter a popular music contest vying for the $1000 prize. They discover quickly that Seoul’s young music listeners aren’t into their funky tunes and instead prefer rival band The Phoenixes and their psychedelic ballads. Park Chung Hee’s military dictatorship isn’t keen on pop music either with the country under martial law and quashing anything considered “decadent.”

Conditions for the Devils’ rise in fame aren’t exactly ideal and they’re barely able to support themselves. But a little persistence and Mimi’s unrelenting antics pay off. Young music listeners catch on to their funk-filled songs and catchy dance moves. Soon the Devils are in high demand with sold-out concerts, secret performances for the Korean Central Intelligence Agency and running amok in Seoul despite the tightly enforced government curfews, dress codes and music.

Fame carries a price though, especially when it’s intertwined with an unforgiving military dictatorship. Band members are eventually torn between the love of music and the seductive allure of celebritydom. An accident will only serve to divide the band further providing an ample opportunity for the government to track them down one-by-one. They’re ruthlessly tortured for confessions of their decadence and names of other subversive leaders. Once released though, a new sense of determination will strengthen their resolve to keep Seoul’s soul alive.

“Go Go 70s” delivers a story that is both entertaining and informative for audiences to learn about how South Korea’s pop culture thrived despite the government’s struggle to repress individual freedoms. Choi Ho delicately balances the film’s qualities to entertain while capturing the raw and often bitter history of South Korea during the 1970s. The actual propaganda footage only underscored the film’s setting. Singing performances by the cast pack an upbeat punch and the music selection was indeed full of soul. Don’t be surprised if the boundless energy found throughout “Go Go 70s” has you digging out vintage records and bopping to the beat. Choi Ho’s film simply proves that Seoul’s soul still lives on.

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