Bet On My Disco

Many Korean directors have made a name for themselves in short films before going on to a career in features. Director Kim Dong-won took this one step further, first shooting an acclaimed 16mm short film called ‘82, Haejok Becomes a Disco King, and then four years later rewriting and expanding it into his feature debut. Surprisingly, the end result feels not at all like a stretched-out short. By turns silly, disgusting, old-fashioned, and cute, Bet On My Disco is one of the comic discoveries of the year. Set in 1982, the story focuses on Hae-jok, Sung-ki and Bong-pal - three high school boys in a rural village who spend their time drinking whiskey and stealing recyclables for spare change. Misfortune strikes when Bong-pal’s father, who scoops out outhouses for a living, is injured and unable to work. Desperate for money, Bongpal takes over his father’s job, while his younger sister secretly finds work at a local hostess bar. After discovering this, the boys utilize everything at their disposal to try and save her: their fists, their brains, and ultimately... disco. Despite the amusing twists and turns of the plot, Bet On My Disco relies mostly on its motley crowd of personalities to leave the biggest impression. The film benefits greatly from its casting - a nice mix of veteran actors and newcomers - as well as the various quirks and mannerisms that define each character. Most impressive, perhaps, is the ballroom dancing teacher - a hobby considered to be quite scandalous in the society of the time. There is a bit of a bite to the movie in the way that it portrays the rural poverty of that time period. Part of the reason young Koreans feel nostalgia for the period is because of the large economic gap that exists between now and then. Mostly, however, Bet On My Disco is just a good-natured farce that will leave you missing the disco tunes of old.