By Jae-Ha Kim
Kocowa.com
January 19, 2020
When you think of Kim Nam-gil, you probably don’t think of cheetahs. After all, the handsome Korean actor has starred in popular Korean dramas such as “The Fiery Priest,” “Bad Boy” and “The Great Queen Seondeok.”
But Kim’s soothing voice narrates the four-part wildlife documentary series, “Life of Samantha,” which follows a cheetah mom and her three cubs in the Maasai Mara National Reserve of Kenya in Africa.
Samantha has her work cut out for her. Though cheetahs are the fastest land animal in the world (able to run about 68 miles per hour), speed can only account for so much when her cubs are defenseless without her. She can hunt, but she first has to hide her cubs from all the hungry predators. She is well aware that the hyenas view her cubs as tiny and tasty morsels.
Over the course of three months, we follow along on her journey, which is filled with love (for her babies), adventure, intrigue, danger … and also despair. There is the usual carnage you would expect from a documentary where one animal’s survival depends on the death of another. Had this been titled and focused differently, we would be cheering for the prey to get away. But here, it’s clear we are meant to cheer for Samantha and her cubs.
That said, there is one particular death that will break the viewer’s heart. And it was one I wasn’t expecting.
The documentary’s score is a beautiful complement to the striking visuals and sets the pace for Samantha’s story. Kudos to composer Kim Hyung-seok, who created music that told a story of its own, regardless of whether you understand Korean. (Of course, KOCOWA offers this documentary in a variety of subtitles, including English and Portuguese).
“Life of Samantha” is just one of many fascinating documentaries streaming on KOCOWA. Here are two of our other favorites that you should check out:
“Bears”
Narrated by “Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food” actor Jung Hae-in, “Bears follows the animals in locales around the world (such as Siberia, Kamchatka and the Swiss Alps). Jung said he was excited to work on this documentary, because it was helmed by producer Kim Jin-man. Jung is a fan of Kim’s work, which includes “Tears in the Amazon.”
“The Heirs” co-stars Park Shin-hye and Kim Woo-bin explore how difficult it can be for human beings to co-exist with animals in the highly publicized “Humanimal.” Set in 11 locations, including Botswana and Zimbabwe, the documentary makes it clear that no matter how majestic the animals may appear, they are at our mercy. Park is visibly distraught when she encounters an elephant whose head has been severed for his coveted ivory tusks.
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