Never ones to shy away from provocation, North Londoners HAUS have commissioned an emotionally rife and alternative take on the election of Donald Trump to the American presidency from the perspective of an American solider and pro-Trump voter stationed in South Korea. Directed by filmmaker Matt Halsall, who was living in Seoul during the election, he speaks frankly about this narrative: “”Living in Seoul during the American election it made me realise how interconnected we all are. With South Korea and North Korea still at war and 20,000 American soldiers stationed in South Korea, the American election is something that has very real consequences for the people of Korea. I realised I wanted to tell a very American story but set it in Korea in order to explore this. Another thing I was fascinated by in the aftermath of the American election was the notion that many Trump voters were suffering and for them his victory was a genuinely uplifting and emotionally sincere moment in their lives. From the outside the Trump ideology is so apparently poisonous it is hard to relate to those who see it differently. However I felt for the piece to work and be interesting we would have to empathise with the protagonist and understand how for some people Trump offers hope, even though we know that hope is completely false, those who really believe in Trump will have to learn that for themselves at great cost.”” Backed by tumultuous sounds of HAUS’ single ‘Don’t Care Enough’, which features such proverbial lyrics as “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” this short film is not a easy watch at times, but you’ll find yourself unable to turn away from the protagonist’s gripping performance. - HT