Intangible Asset No. 82

Filmmaker Emma Franz's Intangible Asset No. 82 follows Australian jazz drummer Simon Barker as he searches for elusive percussionist and esteemed hereditary shaman Kim Seok-Chul. For seven years, Barker has traveled to South Korea for inspiration. After a friend introduces Barker to the complex improvisations of Kim Seok-Chul (whose work has received minimal documentation), he decides to find out everything he can about the man, proclaiming Kim “one of the greatest musicians alive”—and later discovering that Korea officially considers him “Intangible Cultural Asset Number 82” (“intangible” because one can't see his contributions). Barker finally meets Kim Dong-Won, a fellow drummer who offers to introduce him to the grand master. To make the most of their journey, Dong-Won recommends that they drop in on a few folk on the way to Busan, including Jeong Sung-Dok, a woman who became a shaman at the age of eight, and Bae Il-Dong, a pansori singer who tells epic stories through song and who built up his voice by singing next to a waterfall for several years. Simon, Dong-Won, and Il-Dong hit it off so well that they end up performing and recording together. But as they get closer to Kim Seok-Chul's hometown, Barker learns that the octogenarian is in declining health, and the pilgrimage turns out far different than planned. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)