★★★½☆
Mokya Shin makes his directorial debut with Easter, a hybrid documentary following Saekja, a pioneering transgender woman reclaiming erased transgender history in South Korea.
Shin uses a documentary style of filmmaking to intertwine memory, Buddhist mythology, and performance, creating a hybrid of fiction and documentary. Blending the two elements of filmmaking together, he attempts to craft the story of Saekja and the history of transgender women in South Korea, showcasing their history, struggles, and identity.
Shin’s decision to make the film a hybrid is a bold one that doesn’t quite pay off.
Shin adds moments outside of Saekja’s story that not only take away from the narrative at hand but also kick off the film with a false sense of where the narrative is heading.
Rather than simply opening with Saekja or immediately introducing the film’s central subject, the documentary begins with a loud, abrasive score that feels noticeably at odds with its otherwise restrained tone. That contrast continues throughout the film, occasionally accompanied by visuals that suggest a deliberate stylistic choice. While this approach may be intended to evoke the discomfort, isolation, and sense of otherness that accompany Saekja’s experience as a transgender individual, the execution never fully comes together. Instead of deepening the emotional connection, the score often feels distracting and at odds with the film’s more intimate moments.
“A heartfelt look at preserving an often-erased chapter of transgender history.”
Shin’s capturing of Saekja’s story is both blissful and wonderfully captured.
Allowing her story to remain at the center while also highlighting historical facts and bringing attention to an otherwise erased transgender history in South Korea.
Exploring the different stages, places, and people who were at the heart of the movement that changed the transgender community in South Korea.
Doing so in such a way that it feels less like a history lesson and more like hearing an elder reminisce about their life, offering insightful wisdom and perspective.
While Saekja offers insightful wisdom on the inner world of the transgender community, she also shares details about the red-light district and clubs that were founded or heavily active during the Korean War, which inspired and even laid the foundation for what the community is today. Some of those places are even still active and thriving today.
“It feels less like a history lesson and more like hearing an elder reminisce about their life.”
The interview sections feel less formal and more heartfelt and connecting rather than stiff and purely informative.
Saekja offers not only information about the community she helped build but also opens up about her personal experiences.
Why she chose to undergo surgery, when many transgender women do not. Why it is difficult for someone like her to love and be loved.
Shin’s hybrid documentary, Easter, is insightful, eye-opening, and heartfelt.
While the hybrid structure doesn’t quite work, it ultimately bogs down the film’s tone and pacing.
The film’s purpose comes across as informational and eye-opening rather than preachy or ideological.
At no point does Easter try to convey a message or push an idea or ideology. Its purpose comes across as preserving history and allowing a pivotal story to be heard.
With an ending monologue that is not only insightful but gracefully spoken, Easter concludes with words that will stay with you long after the credits roll.
“Insightful, eye-opening, and heartfelt.”
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