Movie Digest
Coming from Jero Yun, who is well-known for his sympathetic films for North Koreans, especially their refugees, comes another gem of a film, which shows a young North Korean defector trying to make a life for herself and live a life of pride.
Jin-ah and her father have both defected from North Korea. While her father has taken refuge in China, Jin-ah has come to South Korea to find a job and earn enough money for her father to come live with her. But try as she can, due to the prejudices of the locals, she is unable to find a well-paying job that would enable her to earn money easily.
Jin-ah’s mother had fled from North Korea a long time ago and had well established herself in the country. Along with a new family. Although she could easily ask her mother for help, it hurts Jin-ah’s pride to go to a person who had abandoned them, so she doesn’t. She finds a job in a restaurant, but that pay is not enough. Then luck strikes as she finds a second job as a cleaner in a women’s boxing club.
Seeing the women learning their craft fires something inside Jin-ah. One of the coaches, Tae-soo notices this and asks her to join, but she refuses. But immediately after that, Jin-ah gets into a scuffle and hurts the other party to protect herself, which lands her in more financial trouble. Under duress, she decides to take up boxing.
Taking up boxing not only hones Jin-ah’s skills as a fighter but takes her through a journey that ultimately hones her to be a better fighter in the ring of life.
The Feel-Good Part
Much like the circumstances surrounding the protagonist, anything worth feeling good for is earned in this film. We see Jin-ah struggling to find a place to live, struggling to put food in her belly, struggling to just get accepted. And then, when it finally gets enough, we see something that makes us glow inside.
This could have easily veered off into becoming another too-good-to-be-true inspiring sports film, instead, it gives us life on the screen. Here, nothing is easy, and every good thing needs some amount of dedication and hard work to obtain. Therefore, whenever you get feel-good moments, they are gradual and well-earned and pack a punch of serotonin.
In-Depth Analysis
The cinematography of Jero Yun does a fantastic job of portraying the different struggles that Jin-ah goes through. Since this is her journey, all we see is her. Jero Yun uses his experience with North Korean refugees to add many layers to such a multi-faceted story. Themes of being isolated in a city full of people, the troubles of getting accepted by its people, and casual racial discrimination are a big part of this film since they are also a big part of a person’s daily life.
There is another controversial topic that has been incorporated into this film. It is of parents having to leave their family behind to just be able to breathe freely. It is a very painful reality for a lot of North Koreans. It is also very difficult to incorporate in a film correctly. However, it is a huge part of Jin-ah’s story and how she came to be. Therefore, Jero Yun touches the subject gently and respectfully.
The Disappointing Factor
One might be disappointed that the story focuses too much on Jin-ah. The supporting characters, like Tae-soo, were really interesting and they do not just exist as props to Jin-ah; they are a part of Jin-ah’s life and they play a great part in shaping her as a person. It would have been better to explore their characters a little bit.
Star Power
Lim Sung-mi is formidable as Jin-ah. She doesn’t need to speak many words to tell us a story about Jin-ah. She does it entirely through her facial expressions and her little gestures. Oh Kwang-rok is commendable as Tae-soo. In the limited time he is on screen, he is effortless as Tae-soo.
Overall Opinion
Even though dealing with such a heavy subject, the general atmosphere of this film is pleasant. It does an amazing job in selling a story about a person like Jin-ah. We come to know only about Jin-ah, but so many like her go through her circumstances. Boxing, in this film, has been used as a direct parallel to the inner strength and resilience of the people trapped in North Korea. The purpose of this film is to send a clear message to them: we might not be able to help them immediately, but we stand by them. All they need to do is keep fighting.
