In the Absence

9/17/2026

There is something really quite bizarre, almost sedate, about watching the first fifteen minutes or so of this documentary. We witness a ferry - the "Sewol" - that is clearly listing and is surrounded by ships of all sizes, but that is still more or less fully occupied by most of it's 476 passengers and crew who are awaiting an evacuation order. The authorities seem to be relying on the captain - who has been removed safely, or awaiting video evidence of just how perilous the plight of these folks might be before actually taking the precautions of getting them off. Better safe than sorry, surely? It did sink, eventually, with 304 fatalities and the subsequent enquiry and court proceedings illustrate quite effectively a shocking degree of governmental paralysis and led to the removal of the