The first thing to know about Escape (2024) is that it is a South Korean film.  That will give you some perspective when I get to the synopsis.  Further, with such a general word for a title, know that if you research it yourself, you will find other movies with the same name.  I cannot speak to those cinematic cousins, but this one had more heart to it than I expected.  The story is about a North Korean soldier, Sergeant Lim Gyu-nam (Lee Je-hoon), who wishes to defect from his communist country to the democratic South Korea.  What I will describe will demonstrate how harrowing of an endeavor this is, and the fact that he must go through such lengths is one of the reasons why Catholicism is against Communism.  God invites us to worship, countries like North Korea demand fealty to the state under penalty of death.  Those who do not swear allegiance are considered traitors, a sentiment that seems sadly persistent in the United States among some.  I hope that my description will adequately point to how having the freedom to choose is worth it.

Having the ability to choose is worth it to Sergeant Gyu-nam, who secretly wishes to Escape to South Korea.  He is ideally placed to do so, serving with a unit charged with guarding the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on the North Korean side.  Every night, he sneaks out of the barracks to map out his planned rout, and perhaps more importantly, plot the location of mines in the open ground between the two countries.  We also see his motivation in a flashback, having witnessed his father, then mother, pass away.  Before their deaths, Sergeant Gyu-nam’s parents encouraged him to do whatever he desired with his life.  This is something that is not possible in the land of his birth, which is underscored when people ask him what he is going to do when he is soon discharged from the military.  He always answers by saying he does not know because there are no prospects for him.  The same can be said for one of his comrades, Kim Dong-hyuk (Hong Xa-bin).  Kim has been watching Sergeant Gyu-nam, following the squad leader and being aware of all the preparations.  Sergeant Gyu-nam tells the soldier to forget everything.  Yet, the next day, Kim goes missing and only Sergeant Hyu-nam knows what is happening.  The non-commissioned officer finds the private first, but the others will not listen to Sergeant Gyu-nam’s pronouncement that everything is under control.  Instead, both men are arrested as deserters, though Kim tries to take all the blame while they are under torture.  It is not long before the ruling party sends one of their up-and-coming officers, Major Lee Hyun-sang (Koo Kyo-hwan), to deal with the failed defectors, an embarrassment for the country since they come from the ranks.  Not long after getting to the base, Major Hyun-sang points out that Sergeant Gyu-nam had captured Kim, and that the private had taken the blame for the crime.  Because of the fear Major Hyun-sang instills, Sergeant Gyu-nam is released.  Instead of facing a firing squad, Sergeant Gyu-nam drives Major Hyun-sang to a banquet where the former is to be celebrated as a hero.  During the ride, we learn that the two have known each other for years, the sergeant’s father having served as a driver for the major’s family.  Sergeant Gyu-nam is understandably uncomfortable with the ceremony, and as soon as he is able, he is prodding Major Hyun-sang about the need to return to base.  Instead, Major Hyun-sang tells the subordinate that Sergeant Gyu-nam is going to remain at division headquarters as an aide and continue his armed forces career.  Not only does Sergeant Gyu-nam not want this for his life, the fact that he is being forced to stay is interfering with the timetable for his departure.  All the same, he uses his new position to get himself the necessary passes to give himself a headstart on getting away.  Gathering a drunk general, who allows him to get through the front gate, he drives until he runs out of gas.  Serendipitously, a military police patrol is passing nearby when his jeep comes to a stop.  He manages to get them to believe that he is on a top-secret mission, and they take him to their headquarters.  This also happens to be where Kim is being held, and Sergeant Gyu-nam uses his powers of persuasion to get them to release the former into the latter’s custody.  Still, Lieutenant Hong (Lee Sung-wook), who is in charge of the military police here, is beginning to get suspicious.  He insists on accompanying Sergeant Gyu-nam and Kim on the next leg of their journey, and calls Major Hyun-sang as they are going.  It is at this point that they are discovered, and the major quickly has armed men that attack the car and cause it to crash.  From here, Sergeant Gyu-nam and Kim are on the run, but for a time they receive some assistance from a group of nomads that live near the border and try to avoid the government’s reach.  One of their sons is in custody, and their assistance is given in exchange for information on how to rescue the boy.  As Sergeant Gyu-nam and Kim are once again on the run, Kim is shot.  This hobbles their progress, but they are able to make it to their base where they pick up Sergeant Gyu-nam’s familiar path.  Upon getting to the fence, Kim drops a gift he has for his mother, who lives in South Korea, and is mortally wounded retrieving it.  It is now up to Sergeant Gyu-nam to carry the necklace for his fallen comrade, and he must do it with Major Hyun-sang personally hunting him.  The major finally catches up to the sergeant at the border, and for a moment it looking like the officer might let the subordinate go freely.  Instead, Major Hyun-sang puts a few bullets into Sergeant Gyu-nam, standing over the escapee just as he puts his hand on the dividing line.  Sergeant Gyu-nam is saved by South Korean soldiers, and Major Hyun-sang walks away.

In case you are wondering, Sergeant Gyu-nam makes it to South Korea, and the last few scenes in Escape give us a glimpse of his life in the new, freer country.  One scene involves him visiting Kim’s mother (Jang Young-nam), but Sergeant Gyu-nam does not tell her about her son’s fate.  Instead, the former North Korean soldier says that Kim is happy with life.  Happiness, or the pursuit of it, is a theme throughout the film.  Sergeant Gyu-nam maintains that attaining it is impossible in North Korea, and it is difficult to argue with him.  Although we have to be told of the hardship and the lack of choices he faces, the fact that he is willing to go through such lengths to make it to South Korea is telling.  God did not create us to live under the oppression of any regime, and the Old Testament has many stories of people complaining to the Almighty about their treatment and being sent a prophet who temporarily relieve their suffering.  One has to describe these measures as temporary because us humans are the ones responsible for putting ourselves in such a predicament.  That God has not simply made it so that we could live in a paradise without worry is somewhat of a mystery, but He also blessed us with free will.  These are ideas with which thinkers have wrestled for centuries, and instead of choosing God, so many have tried to push their own agenda for obtaining the kind of life Sergeant Gyu-nam desires.  In North Korea, they built a system in which the state chooses for you.  If you are part of the government that keeps the apparatus together, then that works well for you.  Proof of this is found with Major Hyun-sang, a closeted homosexual, who opts to remain on his side of the border when he could have easily defected.  It should also be pointed out that governments like the one he swears fealty to are not tolerant of religions like Christianity.  This is why a society like South Korea’s, where the Catholic Church is going strong, is preferable.  People have the opportunity to choose God in such places, and that is all He wants of us.

I would want for you to see Escape, although it is not a perfect movie.  There are a few plot holes, for example.  Nonetheless, I was rooting for Sergeant Gyu-nam to make it to South Korea, and it is immensely satisfying when he does.  If you can stand some subtitles, this is a solid watch.