"Everyone Struggles with a Worthless Self" — Why Director Park Hye-young's Work Resonates with "Tora-san, the Vagabond" —
In 2026, watching Director Park Hye-young's latest film, "Everyone Struggles with a Worthless Self," I unexpectedly found myself thinking of Tora-san from the classic Japanese film series "Tora-san" (Otoko wa Tsurai yo). Even though the two are completely different in age and circumstances, there is something that resonates between them. It was a work that evoked such a mysterious feeling.
■ Hwang Dong-man, a man who has been an unsuccessful film director for 20 years
The protagonist, Hwang Dong-man, is a man who has been smoldering as a "self-proclaimed film director" who hasn't made it for 20 years. He keeps failing auditions, hurls harsh criticism at his peers' work, and is especially unforgiving toward his close friends' projects. Beneath that, there is a swirling mix of a faint hope of being recognized someday and the frustration of an unfulfilled reality.
The "Group of Eight," consisting of eight college friends, continues to gather at the bar "Hideout." However, the only one who is "not recognized" there is Dong-man. Because of his strong ambition to rise, he spins his wheels and throws those around him into chaos with his rough behavior. Even so, his friends and his girlfriend, Eun-ha, for some reason, never abandon him and continue to support him warmly.
Eventually, Dong-man wins a newcomer award and escapes his long period of misfortune. Here, the story seemingly reaches a happy ending. It is an ending that makes you think, "From now on, he will be able to get along well with his friends and Eun-ha."
■ Why did I think of Tora-san?
While watching this Korean drama, for some reason, Director Yoji Yamada's "Tora-san, the Vagabond" came to mind.
Tora-san is also a man who lives as a "dropout" of society, hurling abuse at those around him. However, there is always a warm family around him, and his sister, Sakura. That composition overlaps somewhat with the relationship between Dong-man, the Group of Eight, and Eun-ha.
However, there is a decisive difference between the two.
Dong-man: Has an educational background and a strong ambition to succeed as a film director
Tora-san: Uneducated, has no interest in fame or success, and lives a carefree life falling in love with beautiful women only to be rejected
Tora-san doesn't even worry about being "worthless." On the other hand, Dong-man suffers from a modern "disease of self-affirmation" where high self-esteem and deep inferiority coexist.
■ Men who would be a nuisance in reality, yet why we want to support them
To be honest, if people like Dong-man or Tora-san existed in the real world, they would be quite troublesome. They throw those around them into chaos, are self-centered, and sometimes run wild. There are probably people who would think, "I want to distance myself from them as soon as possible."
However, in movies, for some reason, you want to support them. The audience forgets reality, projects themselves onto the protagonist's clumsy way of life, and surrenders themselves to the story in search of a momentary catharsis. I think that is what a movie is—a "dream machine."
■ Can Dong-man really be happy?
However, if I may be blunt, Dong-man's future is not necessarily bright.
He is also a kind of person with a broken personality. Abnormal self-esteem, a volatile temper, and the mediocrity of not having sold for 20 years. After the fleeting success of a newcomer award, the anxiety that he might find a new "worthless self" and suffer again cannot be wiped away.
There is also a possibility that he will involve his friends from the Group of Eight and Eun-ha, and cause trouble again. Success does not necessarily save him.
■ The decisive difference between Tora-san and Dong-man
Tora-san lives a life outside of social order, yet he is completely devoid of any desire for upward mobility. He does not worry deeply about his way of life, living freely while relying on his family.
In contrast, Dong-man is a modern person constantly driven by the desire to "go higher." That very desire is what causes him suffering, while simultaneously pushing him forward.
This contrast brings both characters into sharper focus.
■ Summary: The modern Dong-man, the Showa-era Tora-san
Tora-san is a man who lives freely on the "outside of society." Dong-man is a man struggling desperately on the "inside of society."
Although they come from different eras and countries, they share the commonality of being clumsy, beloved, and somehow impossible to hate. figures.
And perhaps that is why, in their figures, the audience sees their own struggle with their own "worthlessness."