Movie Digest
Permission to Exist is a South Korean documentary film that was released in 2020. The plotline revolves around four South Korean students who are on a journey of self-acceptance in a highly competitive educational system that only honors the ‘perfect grade’ and nothing else than that.
The Feel-Good Part
The documentary film, Permission to Exist takes an approach to learning about the mental health situation of high school students. The film explores the genre of documentary-musical, which has not been seen till now. The fascinating thing about this documentary-musical is that there are no lip-syncs, and the performances are all live.
The Disappointing Factor
The film is such well-made that it hardly has any disappointing factors.
In-Depth Analysis
The film revolves around the South Korean educational system and how it affects the students’ lives. Having a reputation as a very competitive educational system in the world, the South Korean educational hub has the highest test scores in the world, which results in a large number of students getting accepted into some of the prominent colleges of the world. This documentary film studies the mental health of the students appearing for the CSAT or The College Scholastic Ability Test, also known as Suneung, which determines student’s future. The score of CSAT decides the college for a student. There is a significant pressure on the high school students of South Korea to score perfect score, which ultimately affects a student’s social and mental status of their life. The highly competitive exam has a reputation for draining one’s energy because it is one of the most challenging exams in the world. South Korea also has a high rate of suicide cases from the rest of the world, varying in all age groups. This documentary film attempts to study just that, as in the effects on mental and emotional health while preparing for CSAT. The most creative factor of this film is undoubtedly the introduction of a new genre of musical-documentary, which offers something new to the audience. The direction and execution of the film are nicely done along with its screenplay.
Star Performance
Kelley Katzenmeyer is the director and writer of the film. The other writers include names such as Douglas Blush and Bo Yeon Kim.
Overall Opinion
Permission to Exist attempts to spread awareness on how competitive exams leave such a heavy toll on a student’s life, which transcends beyond personal life to their social and economic aspects as well. The film focuses on how four high school students attempt to find self-acceptance in a highly competitive environment, which is certainly not easy, as society honors nothing but perfection. This film is exceptionally well-depicted and certainly needs to be watched. The artistic route of the film will undoubtedly compel you to watch this film.
