Have you ever heard about pansori? Pansori is a type of Korean music. It is usually performed by two people, one singer and one drummer. It was proclaimed a “Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage” by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) on November 7, 2003. As pansori has influenced traditional Korean music culture, the movie Lineage of the Voice also deals with pansori and the lives related to it.

Paik Yeon-ah, who directed Lineage of the Voice, confesses that she was often asked about Korean culture during her stay in the U.K. At that time, she realized she didn't know enough about Korean culture and so decided to produce a film dealing with pansori. As soon as she came back to Korea, she started to search the whole country and she met two boys.

The first boy’s name is Park Su-beom (13 years old). His father always supports him ardently, and he has learned pansori from other pansori masters. He learns pansori with all his earnestness because his dream is to become a master of pansori singing. On the other hand, the second boy, Park Seong-yeol (11 years old), sings in front of the old people from a small village and sells some products. His father also wanted to learn pansori and he tried to study pansori in the Provincial Institute for Korea Traditional Performing Arts.However, his home economic conditions were not good so Seong-yoel learns pansori from his father. Even though his father was so strict and fierce in teaching his son pansori, the joys and sorrows of life are naturally soaked into his pansori.

The two boys have something in common: their fathers and pansori. Both of the fathers wanted to learn pansori eagerly and professionally, but they had to stop learning pansori because of their parents' opposition and lack of money. However, they could never let go pansori in their life, and that’s the reason why they started to teach pansori to their sons. The two sons follow their fathers’ will without any resistance and, further, keep stepping forward until they become master singers of pansori.

At the end of the movie, Seong-yeol sings sacheolga (a song about the four seasons) but the scene suddenly changes into the scene showing Su-beom. It means pansori is a Korean spiritual song in that it connects people’s minds into one. During the 100 minutes’ showing time, we can call our attention to pansori, which we tend to forget, and also can watch the two boys’ growth. Produced in a documentary form, this movie definitely gives us a candid and genuine emotional impression.