When “Star Wars” became a major success in the United States, ushering in the era of science fiction and blockbusters, the Korean film industry was under the control of the authoritarian regime. **In the 1970s, Korean studios had to submit screenplays to the authorities and obtain approval to shoot films.** “Cobweb,” which was released in theaters in 2023 and released on Netflix this Christmas season, is a black comedy about Korean film directors trying to use their own imagination and industry figures trying to survive within the system.**

Film director Kim Yeol (Song Kang-ho) became a director who mainly produced sensational melodramas after the success of his first film. He is even mocked by reporters he met at a soup restaurant as a cheap film director, but he didn't want to make cheap films. **To avoid government censorship, he had to make either anti-communist films or cheap melodramas.**

**Kim Yeol is obsessed with the desire to make a masterpiece that will capture both critics and audiences with his new film, “Cobweb.”** He is convinced that he can create the best work ever if he just reshoots the ending of “Cobweb,” which he has already finished filming. *However, the censorship authorities refuse his revised screenplay, and the production company representative also refuses to reshoot on grounds of cost and censorship.* Moreover, the film set is scheduled to be demolished for the next film shoot.

**Driven into a corner, Kim Yeol locks up the government officials who came to censor the script, chains the studio door, and forces a reshoot.** However, he can't relax for a second due to the lukewarm attitude of the actors, the production company representative who is breathing down his neck, and government censorship. Director Kim stumbles toward the completion of the film, walking a tightrope.

**This film, which was released in 2023, received critical acclaim but did not succeed in Korean theaters.** The film was released around the Korean holiday “Chuseok,” a time when many moviegoers visit theaters, so films with clear genres and lots of entertainment value are usually released. This film, at first glance, does not have a clear genre and does not offer much visual enjoyment.

Nevertheless, this is an interesting black comedy film. **The desire and passion for art collide with the control of the authoritarian regime, which is a situation that is never funny, but the film sublimates it all into comedy.** It also satirizes the authoritarian regime that controlled film production and suppressed freedom at the time, and pays tribute to filmmakers of the past who have made films in harsh environments.

The actors' performances are also quite entertaining. Song Kang-ho, who appeared in “Parasite,” transforms himself into the director, “Kim Yeol,” who is obsessed with his desires, and actors such as Lim Soo-jung and Jung Soo-jung recreated the unique vocalization and acting style of Korean films in the 1970s.

Anyone who loves movies and catches all the theatrical releases will enjoy this film. Especially in the last century, films were subject to censorship not only in Korea but also in many countries around the world. Even in the United States, from the 1930s to the 1960s, freedom of speech, which is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, did not apply to films. **Movie fans who remember the era of film censorship or who have knowledge about it will be able to laugh bitterly throughout the film.**