Hye-ja, who is struggling with her job in Seoul, dreams of moving up from a semi-basement flat to a studio apartment. Working at an insurance company's call center, she faces challenges at work due to her rough dialect and fiery personality. To borrow money for the move, Hye-ja travels to Busan to see her mother, but no matter how hard she knocks on the door, her mother does not answer.
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Director Jung Kihyuk possesses a remarkable ability to craft characters who, despite being challenging, are impossible not to like. In his latest work, as in his previous film Star of Ulsan, he portrays characters—in both leading and supporting roles—with an unwavering resilience as they struggle to survive. The protagonist Hyeja confronts injustice head-on, but the dysfunctional social structures that cannot be resolved by words alone only intensify her frustration. Reflecting writer Jeong Hee-jin's observation that "women are labeled aggressors merely for not maintaining a gentle demeanor," those around Hyeja stigmatize her as peculiar and aggressive. Structured as a road movie, the film follows Hyeja's journey as she collects debts. What begins as her sole hope for financial stability evolves into an expedition through back alleys and impoverished shanty towns that forces her to witness Korean social realities firsthand. Yet, the film's strength does not lie in the representation of reality. Instead, its power comes from the explosive energy of both director and performers that feels almost too expansive for the screen. At its center stands the juxtaposition of "anger" and "understanding," personified through the characters Hyeja and Heesook. Through these characters, the director highlights something increasingly scarce in contemporary society—respect for humanity—positioned between the courtesy of acknowledging others' struggles and the determination to protect one's own life. (Sung MOON)
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JUNG Kihyuk
