La memoria di una madre con demenza si dissolve gradualmente, sbiadisce e si sgretola.

Director Ryu Hyung-seok, who served as a conscripted firefighter during his mandatory military service, made a documentary about firefighters. Responding to calls from those on the edge of life and death, these modern-day heroes at the Yangsan Firestation and Ulsan Fire Headquarters are the focus of The First Responders. Without voiceover narration or interview shots, the film captures not only the team’s work and daily lives, but also their inner darkness, desires, and the difficult fate inherent in their profession. Here, the camera is not simply a tool for recording but is one of them, acting as their eyes. “Just strip away all emotion and focus on what you need to do,” one firefighter says, and the documentary mirrors this approach, moving steadily forward without being swept up by emotional waves. Yet the film inevitably reaches heart-warming moments. This documentary offers an exceptionally humanistic insight into the profession.

정동진을 지나고 헌화로를 지나오면 만나는, 작고 외진 금진 해수욕장. 피서객 없는 5월, 주연은 도시를 떠나 이곳으로 오게 된다. 죽은 엄마 하영의 파라솔 대여소를 이어받기 위해서이다. [제26회 정동진독립영화제]