Inmok’s appearance is somewhat curious. Around his neck, covered in dirt, he wears a mysterious medal. Perhaps the medal is the last piece of his glorious past remaining in him. When he finds himself forcibly evicted from his house and with nowhere to go, Inmok lays wastepaper under a bridge and begins to stay there. Inmok’s companions under the bridge include an old man, who collects wastepaper; Kidong, who is kind and naive; and Seoyeon, a girl who wanders the streets. Inmok becomes their friendly guardian, but also becomes a crafty exploiter, blurring the boundary between good and evil. Watching his behaviors, we become disconcerted by his actions that are alternately pitiful, brazen, laughable, funny, but never contemptible. Paper Man reflects the ugly and unpleasant realities of the world in the microcosm of the world under the bridge. In that sense, Paper Man is a slick fable about capitalism and its ruthless food chain.
