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Birthday Boy

Watch this film on YouTube here
 Watch this film on Vimeo here
The year is 1951, the place is Korea and there is a war going on.  The hero of the story is Manuk.  We first see him exploring the wreck of a downed plane looking for some 'useful' bits of metal. 

Manuk wanders around the town on his way home, playing perilously close to the railway - using the trains to flatten bits of metal which he uses to make small toys. 

​There are some funny moments, he throws a stone during a game and it hits a cyclist.  There is a poignant moment at the end when a parcel arrives.  The audience is led to assume that his father has been killed in action and these are his possessions.  Manuk does not realise. 
​
Teaching Ideas
  • Look at similarities and difference between Manuk's life and ours.
  • Rewrite small sections as a narrative, e.g. the stone throwing incident, or the thrill of seeing the train/planes.
  • Create a box with some of the items in - show the children the items one by one.  Who could they belong to?  What could have happened to the person that owned them?
  • Write letters between Manuk and his Father.
  • Write a dialogue between Manuk and his mother, him retelling what he has been up to whilst she tries to persuade him to be careful.
  • Write the next scene in the film.  Mother comes home - what happens?
  • Write a description for the image of the higgledy-piggledy rooftops. 
Picture
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  • From our family to yours