The film <A BIRTH> portrays the short span of St Kim Dae-gun Andrea’s life, in which he was baptized at 15 and left for Macau to study. Then he became Korea’s first priest at 24 and was martyred at 25.
The film <A BIRTH> appears to be a Catholic film because the main character is a priest. However, it is mostly a commercial drama depicting Kim Dae-gun’s advenures through land and sea to pave the path for modern Korea.
This film is a spectacular masterpiece brought to life by VFX technology, with scenes ranging from studying in Macau to the French Far East Fleet commander Cecil’s boarding of the Erigon, the Opium War, the pioneering of land entry routes through East and West Manchuria, as well as through Baengnyeong Island, among many others.
<A BIRTH> tries to avoid giving too much weight on the fact that Kim Dae-geon is a religious figure. So far, his life has been overshadowed by his status as the Korean Catholic Church’s first priest and his martyrdom. This movie aims to accurately place Father Kim Dae Gun in Korean history and shed light on his life as a pioneer who ushers in Korea’s modern era.
Through the stories of Jeong Ha-sang and Kim Dae-gun, who are champions of the history of Catholicism in Korea, <A BIRTH> enables viewers to assess the entire history of Korean Catholicism, from accepting Catholicism to being persecuted and obtaining religious freedom.
The 1876 Ganghwa Treaty, which opened its port to Western forces, is frequently cited as the beginning of the modern era in Korea.
<A BIRTH> allowed the general public to comprehend the development of modern Korean history in a single glance from just before this unfortunate event, not from the internal perspective of Korea, but through the eyes of Father Kim Dae-Gun who had witnessed the Western imperialism, and from an outsider’s perspective of international relations at the time.
The film, which is set to have its Vatican premiere, reveals the Vatican’s role in the history of Catholicism in Korea.
It also describes in detail how the Paris Foreign Missionary Church managed the Korean diocese, initially through Spain and Portugal and subsequently directly
While films like <Mission> and <Silence> objectify the locals from the perspective of a Western priest, <A BIRTH> celebrates the efforts of Koreans who independently accepted Catholicism and shed blood to give birth to the first Korean priest. Although this piece likewise opens with the entrance of Father Maubant and depicts Korea through the eyes of a western priest in the beginning, it maintains a balance between Eastern and Western perspectives.
After completing filming and editing, <A BIRTH> is presently undergoing postproduction, which includes CG, music, and mixing.
The Vatican premiere is set for November 16, and the opening is scheduled for
November 30.
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