Abstract

Discussions on the diaspora and boundary based on the locality have so far been a major part of the discourse on Zhang Lu's films. However, Gyeongju(2014) is a film which requires an expansion of the discourse on Zhang Lu's cinematic space and boundary. From the spatial characteristics of Gyeongju city in which daily life and tombs coexist, the film shows a vague boundary between life and death, existence and non-existence, presence and past, and reality and illusion. This paper discusses the characteristics of the non-boundary of cinematic time and space in Gyeongju from the viewpoint of interdependence in Yeon-gi(Buddhistic theory of dependent origination). Gyeongju is unbound by time in a way that the past and present times are mixed in a single space. The characteristics of non-boundary is also shown by Choi Hyun's mystical experience. From the thought of Gong(emptiness: Śūnyatā), the central idea of acting that everything in the universe is interdependent becomes the main concept of understanding the non-boundary in the film. The coexistence of different times in a single space represents non-realistic time by emptiness(Śūnyatā) and interdependence of time. This can be also noticed through a photo, a literary painting, and an obscene picture in the film. The characteristics of non-boundary in the film is described not only by the narrative relating to the theme but also through the director's aesthetic thought in using the frame as a medium space. With sound and camera movement, Gyeongju expands the cinematic space while blurring the boundaries between what is on-screen and off-screen. As a result, Gyeongju speaks of the non-boundary of the world through the boundary. In addition, the director's world view regarding the interdependence and non-boundary is presented through realistic film techniques. Thus, the film accomplishes aesthetically by creating an organic relationship between theme and form.