It somehow takes the many loose ends between the afterlife and the happenings on earth and ties it all together into a solid ball of spectacular action and piercing emotion. There are many more twists in this Gordian knot of a film, yet despite the two hour runtime, Along with the Gods never loses speed on its intricate story. But every life has its missteps, and Ja-hong will have to answer for them all before the seven gods of Hell. He has the advantage of being deemed a “paragon” upon entry into the afterlife, having given his life to save another, and therefore is a very valuable soul who is set to breeze through his trials for being such a good guy. Only after passing all of these trials will he be reincarnated and more importantly, have one last chance to see his mother again. Ja-hong must face seven trials over 49 days through the various Hells: deceit, indolence (laziness), injustice, betrayal, violence, murder, and filial impiety (sins against family). The stairway to heaven, as it were, is no walk in the park.
They are later joined by their boss, Gang-lim, and they inform Ja-hong that they are guardians, charged with being his escorts through the afterlife. As he reels in confusion watching his friends gather around his body, he is greeted by a man and woman in black, who introduce themselves as Hewonmak and Deok-choon. How can you judge a human life as simply good or bad when there are so many roles played within one lifetime?Īlong with the Gods begins with firefighter Kim Ja-hong falling to his death, his body breaking the impact and saving the life of the little girl in his arms. Those of us who believe in an afterlife agree that the conditions to getting in relate to being a good person, but what does that really mean? We all make mistakes, lose our way, feel guilt and act selfishly. It’s kinda like The Matrix but for theology nerds.Īll cultures have their own versions of what waits on the other side and despite their differences in the details, the basic ideas remain the same. Whether they’re cheeky comedies like Dogma, sleek thrillers like Constantine, or whimsical tear-jerkers like City of Angels, the glimpse behind the curtain at the angels among us is always inspiring whether you’re religious or not. But my favorite by far are stories dealing with the afterlife-angels, demons, gods, higher realms, heavenly trials. There are certain subjects in film that I am always interested in seeing: horror musicals, sea monster expeditions, robots that want to be human, and hunting men for sport. After a heroic death, a firefighter navigates the afterlife with the help of three guides.
0 kommentar(er)
