If you don’t know much about K-Pop, you still likely know 2 things: Psy’s Gangnam Style and you’ll have heard of BTS. How could you not? BTS is everywhere from trends on Twitter (cutting through the vitriol), showing up on late night shows, on the radio with Korean and English language bangers, and increasingly in the theater with films about BTS and their individual members including SUGA: Road to D-DAY and now Jung Kook: I Am Still. BTS dominance as a group has therefore been proven for sometime, with their aptly named fanclub ARMY demonstrating that even further; however, one might wonder as Jung Kook himself does in his new film what’s it mean to stand alone, to present just yourself, and to put yourself out there in a new light.
In Jung Kook: I Am Still that’s what he himself wonders as he voices aloud to the his crew, and sometimes intimately to the camera, what’s it mean to be just Jung Kook? What will fans expect of him? Who is he without the power of BTS all behind him? Turns out as we see in the film it’s a difficult road, with a significant amount of hard work bouncing between international cities, press stops, and concerts, but its one that Jung Kook finds rewarding and fans love.
Even before the film hit theaters Jung Kook’s debut solo record “Golden“, and especially the singles “Seven” and “3D feat. Jack Harlow“, as well as “Standing Next to You“, had already taken over the Billboard charts and social media. TikTok in particular took “Standing Next to You” to even greater heights as everyone it seemed attempted to do a dance cover of Jung Kook’s absolutely incredible dance break during the bridge. Jung Kook himself mused in the film what would fans think of himself after this dance as he tried to put his skills forward more in a realm he otherwise felt he lacked? Turns out fans would be understandably wowed, and its a reminder seeing how a man this famous, and talented, still can have self-doubts and concerns whether he’s doing his all for his fans.
This insight into Jung Kook’s mind, his struggles, but also his pride, recording his all-English language debut, and his desire to do his all for his fans, was probably the best component of the film, aside from the many mind blowing performances. You could truly see, especially with clips from his early days parsed in, how far Jung Kook had come, and how hard he and the other members worked for what they have today. Certainly one likely never underestimated the hustle of BTS; however, if you did Jung Kook came to dispel any chance that he or anyone else coasted where they are today. They worked hard and their performances and their success demonstrate that.
Speaking of performances of course it wouldn’t be a BTS documentary without them, and fortunately fans were given several full versions of the songs from Golden, non-singles included, and for the singles we were given multiple perspectives and stages. Jung Kook performed in New York City on at least two occasions in the film, including a special performance in Time Square, and he also performed at a special stage in Seoul where many of the full length tracks were recorded. The film also gave an insight into the recording of these songs, often going back and forth in time through 2023 to tell the story of the song’s recording process and music video recording. These timeline shifts may have confused the un-initiated who weren’t following Jung Kook as closely as most fans do; however, it was a unique way to tell the story and to demonstrate truly how crazy Jung Kook’s 2023 must have been.
The film had even more highlights, including several fun cameos with Jimmy Fallon, Jack Harlow, and others. Likewise there were some truly delightful producer interactions showcasing their joy working with Jung Kook, as well as several similar moments with the back-up dancers. These all just added to the intimacy and welcoming nature of the film as we got to experience life on the road with Jung Kook during his Golden promotions.
Of course as with all promotions, and with all films, as most fans knew Jung Kook’s Golden debut would end with his preparedness for the army, as part of Korea’s compulsory military service. (Countdown clocks are counting down the days.) Presently Jung Kook is still in the army; however, as he demonstrates in the film he’s always thinking of ARMY, and so in his way this was one last treat for fans. I think its fair to say that through this film, and Jung Kook’s journey hard work on and promoting “Golden”, fans got more than just a treat with Jung Kook: I Am Still.
Jung Kook – “I Am Still” (Source: BigHit Entertainment)
