Save My Seoul (2017)
Directed by: Jason Y. Lee
Written by: W.A. Fulkerson, Jason Y. Lee, Jean Rheem
Starring: Edward Young Lee, Jason Y. Lee
Release Date: July 4, 2017 (United States)
Available on: Prime Video

I put on Save My Seoul hoping for a titillating exposé on Seoul’s underbelly, perhaps filled with the sort of imagery calculated to inflame the amorous propensities of youth. All I got was a dreary sermon that plodded along like a Sunday school lesson on the perils of sin.

The film follows two Korean-American brothers, Jason and Eddie Lee, as they embark on a crusade to uncover the allegedly rampant prostitution and sex trafficking in Seoul. Armed with hidden cameras that never quite film anything and a holier-than-thou attitude, they venture into the city’s red-light districts, interviewing pimps and prostitutes to unravel the complexities of the sex trade there.

You might think a documentary about this would be filled with interesting stories. Instead, it was one droning lecture from puritanical zealots, eager to shove their agenda of prohibition down our throats. Jason and Eddie Lee ooze a moral superiority as grating as it is unearned. Their interactions with the subjects come off as patronising, lacking genuine empathy or understanding. The film’s attempt to highlight the horrors of prostitution is undermined by their bias.

The interviews with sex workers, while intended to provoke sympathy, strip the women of agency. The result is a shallow portrayal that does a disservice to the people the film claims to champion.

Seoul’s complex landscape is reduced to a backdrop for the filmmakers’ moral crusade. The city’s red-light districts are depicted with disdain, ignoring the cultural and historical contexts that have shaped these areas. The cinematography lacks creativity, relying on clichéd shots of neon lights and shadowy alleyways to produce a sense of danger and depravity.

The film bombards viewers with alarming statistics about how much prostitution there is in South Korea, claiming that one in four young men engage with sex workers ten times a month. As if! These figures are tossed at us without critical analysis or corroboration, feeding a narrative of moral panic. The puritan zealotry is evident throughout. We are told to support a creeping prohibition that anyone with half a brain knows will only make things worse than they already are. The lack of interest in alternative solutions, or just leaving things alone, makes the documentary intellectually barren.

Save My Seoul had the potential to inform on a complex and issue within South Korean society. Instead, it opts for a sanctimonious approach that alienates viewers seeking a thoughtful exploration of the topic. The film’s lack of depth, coupled with its moralistic overtones, results in a tedious viewing experience that offers little beyond superficial condemnation. So far from inflaming my amorous propensities, I found it wholly deflating.