The Tall Grass (2021 Ansene Film)
| The Tall Grass | |
|---|---|
 Ansan theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Chwa Chong-Hun |
| Written by | Hwangbo Minjae |
| Produced by | Tan Jin-Young Ae Sun-Hi |
| Starring | Cheong Sook Yi Chung-Hee Bibo Senria Lee Young-Ja Jahnu |
| Cinematography | Rhee Ae-dong |
| Edited by | Lee Joo-Ho |
| Music by | Choi In-Ho |
Production company | YH Studios |
| Distributed by | YH Worldwide |
Release dates | |
Running time | 136 minutes |
| Country | Ansan |
| Languages | Ansene Gaullican |
| Budget | €25.1 million |
| Box office | €79.4 million |
Plot
Prelude
The film opens with view of the aftermath of the Battle of Inseul, on the second day of the Dakian War. Inseul, a former Ansene garrison in Gangsai on the Ajahadyan border, is strewn with corpses and ruined vehicles. As the camera pans out, the Ansene flag falls and victorious Ajahadyan soldiers raise their own. Major Deval(played by Jahnu), stares out at the carnage and shakes his head ruefully. Narration reveals that the Ajahdyan army overwhelmed the unprepared Ansene defenders in a surprise assault, attacking the country without a declaration of war. The scene shifts to a bedraggled stream of Ansene army survivors fleeing south. The narration states that all across the border with Ajahadya, Ansene garrisons were destroyed and sent into desperate flight. The path into Ansan was now open for the Ajahadyan hordes.
Main Story
At the Aehwa Temple School in rural Gangsai, chaos reigns as younger students and older faculty are desperately evacuating. Baek-Hyun(played by Cheong Sook) and Man-Shik(played by Yi Chung-Hee) help an elderly monk load relics into a horse-drawn carriage. As they complete the task, the axle of the carriage breaks and the monk is forced to leave without the cargo. Baek-Hyun and Man-Shik promise to hide them before leaving the temple. The refugees from the temple leave, joining others from the nearby villages as they race south, attempting to keep ahead of the oncoming Ajahadyan army. The older students and younger staff are left behind in the temple, unsure of how to proceed. Several students want to also flee south, while Man-Shik and others want to stay and fight. In the end, 89 students and staff choose to stay at Aehwa.
Soon after the last refugees leave, a group of soldiers arrive, lead by Sergeant Senrian. This small group of soldiers were all that was left of the Inseul Garrison. According to Sergeant Senrian, the advance elements of the Ajahadyan army were only two days behind them. Nurse Jang-Mi(played by Lee Young-Ja) interrupts the Sergeant to say that the wounded in the group can't go any further and all of them need to rest. Baek-Hyun and Man-Shik show them to the temple infirmary. Sergeant Senrian and Baek-Hyun talk about their plans going forward. If they leave tomorrow, it is highly likely that the unwounded would be able to keep ahead of the enemy. But the wounded would be abandoned to die. Neither seems to desire that outcome. Man-Shik and a monk interrupt the two, declaring that a cache of weapons from the Civil War had been found. Though the rifles were thirty years old, there was plenty of ammunition and most were in working order. With the addition of weapons, the decision is made to stay and try and hold the temple. The students start to train with the rifles, though many are poor shots.
In Vijayla City, General Lee Byeong-Ho(played by Bibo), organizes what's left of Ansene forces in a defensive line along the Dansa River. Vijayla City and the Dansa are the last barriers between the Ajahadyans and the heart of Ansan. If the Dansa is breached, the country will fall. All along the river, Ansene forces dig in and prepare fortifications. Refugees from Gangsai stream across the sole standing bridge in Vijayla City. Among them are refugees from Aehwa. The elderly monk begs a captain to send soldiers to Aehwa, saying that young students had chosen to stand their and fight. The captain refuses, saying that all soldiers are needed to hold the Dansa. Aehwa would stand alone.
Cast
Cheong Sook as Park Baek-Hyun
Yi Chung-Hee as Kwang Man-Shik
Bibo as General Lee Byeong-Ho
Ryouya Takemori as Kuniyosi Sugimura
Lee Young-Ja as Nurse Jang-Mi
Jahnu as Major Deval