As another review put it, this movie takes no sides. Uniforms link soldiers to a nation, but each uniform is worn by an individual. In the film, we first see the main characters, as they fight each other for some abstract ideal, something they come to realize (or already realized) that they don't really believe in. During their stay at Dongmakgol, however, they come to realize what is truly worth fighting for, and ultimately trade their lives to preserve it.<br /><br />To me, it seems that the movie yearns for the innocence that Korea lost during the Korean War. Dongmakgol, the village - exemplified by the young, exceedingly naive, and perhaps a bit crazy, but cute, woman - is sort of Korea's Eden. The villagers know nothing of guns, grenades, or even that there's a war going on. When one villager asks one of the soldiers who has attacked Korea, the soldier has trouble getting the villager to understand that it is Korea that has attacked itself. For the villager, it just doesn't compute.<br /><br />There's a somewhat non-so-subtle theme of the hope of reunification (but, definitely a bias toward South Korea), which reminds me of Taegukgi.<br /><br />This is the director Kwang-hyun Park's first film, I believe. For being so young, he is an adept director. I anticipate his next film with hope.