Review

The Bek Show End of Civilization is essentially a record of Bek Hyunjin Show : Live Broadcast, a performance held in September 2023. The performance, featuring a remarkable lineup that included Bek Hyunjin himself, along with Kim Goeun, Kim Sunyoung, Moon Sanghoon, Chang Kiha, and Han Yeri, sold out quickly, leaving those who couldn't attend with lingering curiosity. Perhaps those seated far from the stage were left curious as well. These actors and singers, who we thought we were familiar with, unveiled new and unexpected sides of themselves on the stage Bek Hyunjin produced—an aspect captured well in the film, The Bek Show End of Civilization. As the culture critic Son Yi-sang noted, Bek Hyunjin's primary occupation is (or was) that of a pursuer, someone who chases after the memory of traces, and in the performance, he demonstrated this nature, integrating all his roles: musician, artist, film director, stage artist, and poet. But the film is not solely intended to archive the performance. Director Kelvin Kyung Kun Park explained in an interview with Cine21 that he decided to turn the performance into a film because, as the three-dimensional live experience of a performance is converted into a two-dimensional medium, many elements are inevitably lost, but this process also gives rise to new ones. Actually The Bek Show End of Civilization is edited in a different order and context from the original performance, leading it to be viewed more as the director's interpretation of the piece. Furthermore, by incorporating Bek Hyunjin's daily life and fake documentary elements, the film results in a work distinctly different from the performance. The film is a must-see for anyone intrigued by Bek Hyunjin and his artistic vision. It also served as the opening feature at last year's Seoul Independent Film Festival. (MOON Seok)

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