The Fundy Film Society

Dalpaengee eui byeol (Planet of Snail)

Dalpeangee eui byeol (Planet of Snail)

A love story like no other, Planet of Snail is a mesmerizing documentary by Korean director Seung-Jun Yi, about an accomplished young poet who can no longer hear or see and his relationship to the world around him.

Young-Chan comes from the Planet of Snail. Dwellers of this tiny planet are deaf and blind, and call themselves “snails” because they rely only on their tactile senses, and communicating by touch. Young-Chan was not happy with the lethargic life on the planet. When Young-Chan came to Earth, there was nothing Earth offered him. Worse was that nobody understood his language. When he was desperate, an angel walked into his life.

Young-Chan meets Soon-Ho who becomes his wife and soul mate, an inseparable part of his life, and a window to the outside world. Young-Chan and Soon-Ho communicate through finger braille, a unique form of touch-based sign language in which words are tapped out on each other’s hands. They rely on one another completely. However, as Soon-Ho herself has to deal with disability, she cannot always be there for him. The couple needs to learn how to survive on their own. While Soon-Ho uneasily spends her first day alone waiting for his return, Young-Chan embarks on the biggest adventure of his life.

“A disability-centric documentary that moves viewers without resorting to trite devices, Seung-Jun Yi’s Planet of Snail takes a condition most of us would find unbearable and demystifies it while finding room for poetry.” (John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter)

“An unadorned, unsentimental portrait of a marriage, Yi Seung-jun’s documentary Planet of Snail celebrates the daily life of an exceptionally collaborative couple.” (Melissa Anderson, Village Voice)

“Planet of Snail is simple, direct and magical. The warm, intimate story of a singular couple, it won the top prize at the prestigious International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, and it will win you over as well if you give it the chance.” (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times)