[Movie Review] The Beach

I watched the movie "The Beach." *This article contains some advertisements.

The craving for paradise and a life of fascination

The protagonist, a young man named Richard, leaves behind his mundane daily life and lands in Bangkok, Thailand, in search of overwhelming stimulation.
In the chaotic city, he meets a strange man named Daffy.
What he is entrusted with is a map to a secret island known to no one: "The Beach."
Driven by the urge for even more unknown stimulation, Richard follows the map through a grueling journey and finally arrives at the legendary paradise.

The first half of the film depicts the adventurous journey to this paradise and the immoral yet liberating lifestyle that unfolds there in a very captivating way.
The sight of these young people, freed from all the constraints of daily life, was filled with charm and the overwhelming beauty of nature.
However, looking back after finishing the movie, one realizes that this blindingly bright light of the first half was a brilliant piece of foreshadowing to accentuate the intense darkness that follows.

The price of paradise and the reality forced upon them

The atmosphere of the utopia, which seemed like it would last forever, changes completely after the tragedy of a community member being attacked by a shark.
From this point on, the story shifts from its previous sense of liberation to one filled with claustrophobia and madness.
What was forced upon them was "the price to pay for maintaining the pleasures of paradise."

If they distance themselves from the injured companion and pretend not to see, the fun paradise can continue as it was.
However, I found myself deeply questioning from behind the screen, "Is this really okay?"
Lives and humanity are discarded to maintain a beautiful community.
When witnessing that cruel reality, I was painfully made to realize that "there is no such thing as eternity in a paradise that exists at the cost of something else."
It was a film that left a lasting impression, exposing the human ego lurking on the flip side of paradise.