프로그램 노트

Program Note

The Sophia family from Ukraine is spending their vacation on Tenerife, in Spain's Canary Islands. Their misfortune was limited to typical disturbances one might encounter in a tourist area, such as wandering for a long time trying to find a place to park, only to end up with a fine, or a minor argument caused by a street vendor. That was all, until the night before their departure, when they heard the news of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Their flight back to Ukraine is canceled, and the Sophia family begins an uncertain drift. Thanks to the hotel's generosity, they are able to stay for free until the situation stabilizes. Caught between the horrors of Ukraine, which they follow on their phones, and the relaxed atmosphere  of the vacation spot, they find it difficult to make sense of it all. Sophia and her younger brother Fedir had only recently welcomed their stepmother into the family, and this trip was meant to bring them closer together. The war only complicates their situation. Arguments become frequent, and their isolation from each other deepens. Under the Volcano links the private sphere of the family with the war through Sophia’s perspective, tracing the emotional trajectory caused by external intrusion. The unexpected drift also leads to new encounters. Just as they found a shared connection with the street vendor selling bracelets, both strangers in a foreign land, Sophia no longer views things through the lens of her past. Even if it means associating the joy of festival fireworks with the pain of war's bombings. (KIM Sun-myung)