GYEONG-AH’S DAUGHTER

CGV Arthouse Award, 2022 Jeonju International Film Festival

A repeated line: It’s always on me.

In this heartbreaking and solemn drama, Kim Gyeong-Ah (Kim Jung-young) is a loving mother who still feels responsible for her daughter, Yeon-su (Ha Yoon-Kyung), a thoughtful teacher who doesn’t visit home often, after her husband passes away. When a video of Yeon-su having sex with an unknown man is leaked and spread, Gyeong-Ah’s shock and past trauma with domestic violence consumes her love for her daughter. Meanwhile, Yeon-su grapples with fear and a receding semblance of freedom as the sex video’s presence looms over her. Alone, both struggle with the devastating damage inflicted upon their lives. At the center of GYEONG-AH’S DAUGHTER is a nuanced and complex relationship between mother and daughter, as they face the aftermath of patriarchal violence.

Touched with care, detailed in buzzing background news reports, full of supportive female friendships and a gentleness to everyday life, director Kim Jung-eun brings a sensitivity and focus to women in relation to misogyny, especially during a time of blatant backlash against feminism in South Korea. With her first feature film, Kim Jung-eun reminds her audience of the gender issues pervasive in this digital era, and the importance of an identity without trauma at the fore.

—Alissa Tu