Anarchist Themes in The Film
Little about anarchist philosophy is actually explained within the film, much less why the individual characters would be attracted to it, though clear references to certain facets of anarchism are made. Examples include references to Kropotkin, the definition of the word anarchy, and a brief exchange on the use of the color black as an anarchist symbol. One scene between the anarchists and their founder also touches on the relationship between anarchists and socialists, and the turmoil that occurred among political factions after the Russian Revolution of 1917, as a result of which many anarchists were split over whether to support the Bolshevik state, and anarchism as a movement began to see a decline in Asia.
For their part, the promoters were not at all shy about describing their protagonists as "terrorists", despite the obvious negative connotations the term carries, and the fact that western mainstream media sources often meet anarchists with hostility. However, the film is unique among fictional depictions of anarchists in that its tone is sympathetic. Most interpretations of anarchists are based on the western bias that anarchism is a philosophy grounded in terrorism. The willingness to accept anarchists as positive historical figures may be owed to the fact that "terrorism" as practiced by anarchists in Europe and the West never caught on in Asia; that the anarchists were part of a larger, anti-imperial movement that is celebrated as an important part of Korean national heritage; and that today anarchism is a relatively unknown philosophy in East Asian countries.
Anarchists are not seen as barbarians, but rather as political novelties who existed during a period when anyone who rebelled was a hero.
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