• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.25
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• pp.7-33
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• 2011

In this paper we attempt to read a film by Haejoon LEE entitled 'Castaway on the moon' from the Bauman's modernity perspective that draws our attention to uncomfortable problems relative to wastes and wasted lifes in the global consumer society we all live in. The so-called consumer society is a post-modern society designed according to the following two criteria: on the one hand, beauty and ugliness and on the other hand, competence and incompetence. Classified as ugly as well as incompetent in this society, the two heros in this film are condemned to live their lifes isolated. Miss Kim is confined to her small room while Mr. Kim is exiled to an uninhabited island called 'Bamsum' in the Han River. In these spaces, neither inside nor outside, they perform what we would like to call 'surplus act', using wastes at their disposal. In this paper we ask ourselves whether or not this act is able to challenge the two criteria and the solidarity of the two wasted lifes can bring about change in the consumer oriented society. As well as Bauman, Agamben will help us approach this question from a theoretical point of view.