South Korea’s ‘film of the 12 months’ about teen trauma

[ad_1] Juna Moon, BBC Korean, Seoul and

Fan Wang, BBC Information, Singapore

Watch: Yoon Ga-eun talks to the BBC about her movie, The World of Love

Yoon Ga-eun was not a reputation many would have recognised in South Korea.

That's till her film about an adolescent who's a survivor of sexual violence grew to become a dark-horse hit.

"It hasn't actually sunk in but," indie filmmaker Ms Yoon advised BBC Korean at a studio in Seoul in late November. "Now I simply really feel nearly clean - simply grateful, and in addition a bit scared."

The World of Love has been dubbed the "film of the 12 months" by Korean media for its touching, empathetic portrayal of life after trauma. As an alternative of recreating the crime, the film tells the story of what comes after: the on a regular basis lifetime of high-schooler Joo-in, from faculty to romance to household and friendships, and all of the moments of battle and pleasure that go together with it.

It has earned the reward of critics and audiences, and greater than $1.1m in field workplace income since its debut in October. Viewers have given it a 9 out of 10 on South Korea's largest search portal, Naver.

"Merely a masterpiece," is how Bong Jun-ho, director of the globally acclaimed movie Parasite and the primary Korean to win an Oscar, described it. He known as himself the "head of the Seoul department of Yoon Ga-eun's fan membership".

The movie has resonated in a deeply patriarchal nation, the place ladies say they battle arduous simply to be heard. And its stunning success is an indication of the rising willingness to interact in conversations about sexual violence and the way survivors are handled.

'That is not all I'm'

The World of Love might not seem to be an apparent selection for movie-goers.

The Korean title, "Joo-in of the World", says little in regards to the plot. Whereas it stars Parasite actor Jang Hye-jin and Ok-drama star Go Min-si, the lead is performed by Web optimization Su-bin, a brand new face on the massive display screen.

At its coronary heart, it is a story in regards to the the lifetime of 17-year-old Joo-in.

All the pieces goes nicely for her. She is common at college, has a faithful boyfriend, and lives with a caring mum and lovable youthful brother.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/9aeb/live/5f5cf290-e78c-11f0-a43b-cf06f4892e83.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/9aeb/live/5f5cf290-e78c-11f0-a43b-cf06f4892e83.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/9aeb/live/5f5cf290-e78c-11f0-a43b-cf06f4892e83.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/9aeb/live/5f5cf290-e78c-11f0-a43b-cf06f4892e83.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/9aeb/live/5f5cf290-e78c-11f0-a43b-cf06f4892e83.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/9aeb/live/5f5cf290-e78c-11f0-a43b-cf06f4892e83.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/9aeb/live/5f5cf290-e78c-11f0-a43b-cf06f4892e83.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/9aeb/live/5f5cf290-e78c-11f0-a43b-cf06f4892e83.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="Getty Images Seo Su-bin and Yoon Ga-eun attend The World of Love screening. Seo, on the left, points both index fingers at the camera, while Yoon, standing next to her, fold her hands in front of her body and smiles at the caemra. " class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Getty Pictures Web optimization Su-bin (left) debuts within the movie's lead function as high-schooler Joo-in

Pressure begins over her refusal to signal a petition at college. A person who assaulted a 10-year-old baby is about to be launched from jail into her neighbourhood. So a fellow pupil begins a petition calling for the suspension of his launch. Joo-in is the one one who refuses to signal.

She objects to a single line within the petition: "Sexual violence leaves deep wounds that by no means heal and fully destroys an individual's life and soul."

"I am unable to agree with this assertion," Joo-in tells the coed who drafted it.

The standoff finally ends up revealing her secret: she was raped by a relative when she was youthful.

Regardless of the harrowing theme, Ms Yoon is decided to discover the fullness of Joo-in's life, whose title means "proprietor" or "grasp" in Korean, alluding to the autonomy Ms Yoon envisioned for her character.

Journalists who attended the media screening obtained a hand-written letter from Ms Yoon asking them to keep away from mentioning sexual violence whereas masking the movie.

"The story is extra about how we take a look at her," Ms Yoon defined to the BBC, including that she did not need to pin a label - childhood sexual abuse survivor - on her protagonist.

"As a result of Joo-in herself refuses that. It is one a part of her identification and it shakes her, however she insists, 'That is not all I'm'."

When she determined to make a movie about sexual violence, Ms Yoon was clear about one factor. She didn't need it to be predictable.

Throughout her analysis, she stated she "watched just about all the things that was on the market" on this topic. She spoke with survivors and consulted activists. These conversations shattered the "prejudice" she carried, an ignorance that "reduces an individual totally to their wound".

"We spent a lot time speaking about fully odd considerations," she stated. "Worries about work, household, friendships and romances, about needing to drop a few pounds or acquire weight or train extra. I feel these moments dissolved even that final tiny little bit of prejudice I nonetheless had."

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/5dd1/live/08a40bb0-e6f5-11f0-9149-5ff47aced203.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/5dd1/live/08a40bb0-e6f5-11f0-9149-5ff47aced203.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5dd1/live/08a40bb0-e6f5-11f0-9149-5ff47aced203.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/5dd1/live/08a40bb0-e6f5-11f0-9149-5ff47aced203.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/5dd1/live/08a40bb0-e6f5-11f0-9149-5ff47aced203.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/5dd1/live/08a40bb0-e6f5-11f0-9149-5ff47aced203.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/5dd1/live/08a40bb0-e6f5-11f0-9149-5ff47aced203.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5dd1/live/08a40bb0-e6f5-11f0-9149-5ff47aced203.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Barunson E&A Four high school girls sit together in a cafeteria. They are wearing matching black-and-yellow athletic-school school jackets. Joo-in's friend, left, is turned slightly to the side wearing glasses, while Joo-in faces forward with her mouth open mid-expression" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Barunson E&A The World of Love is South Korea's highest-grossing indie movie of 2025

This touched audiences.

Those that preferred the movie say it challenges the stereotypes we venture onto survivors of sexual crimes, encouraging audiences to see them otherwise - people who find themselves a part of society and attempting to dwell their lives like everybody else.

When Web optimization Jinwon, a kids's guide editor watched the movie in Seoul, she stated, the cinema "fell fully silent" because the movie ended.

"No-one rushed to go away. I stayed and watched the tip credit. I walked out of the cinema pondering, 'I need to be a very good grownup who can stand beside all the kids and youngsters who're attempting so arduous to develop up'."

A sexual violence survivor who wished to stay anonoymous stated she had an urge to "stretch my arms and cheer" when she walked out of the cinema.

"Joo-in gave me a lot. On the finish, it felt like she was smiling at me and saying, 'I'm dwelling nicely, so let's maintain dwelling nicely collectively'."

The proper second

The World of Love is doing what activists have lengthy labored in the direction of, based on Cho Eunhee, director of Korea Sexual Violence Reduction Heart who labored as a marketing consultant on the movie.

The timing, she added, "is extremely proper".

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/ff39/live/c6c20af0-e779-11f0-aa4d-3b5649ab110b.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/ff39/live/c6c20af0-e779-11f0-aa4d-3b5649ab110b.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/ff39/live/c6c20af0-e779-11f0-aa4d-3b5649ab110b.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/ff39/live/c6c20af0-e779-11f0-aa4d-3b5649ab110b.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/ff39/live/c6c20af0-e779-11f0-aa4d-3b5649ab110b.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/ff39/live/c6c20af0-e779-11f0-aa4d-3b5649ab110b.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/ff39/live/c6c20af0-e779-11f0-aa4d-3b5649ab110b.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/ff39/live/c6c20af0-e779-11f0-aa4d-3b5649ab110b.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="AFP via Getty Images Two Korean women hold signs that read "#MeToo"" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> AFP through Getty Pictures South Korean ladies at an illustration on Worldwide Ladies's Day in 2018

After the 2017–2018 MeToo motion, it grew to become simpler for survivors to share their tales, and the nation grew extra protecting and understanding in the direction of them. By 2025, when Ms Yoon's movie was launched, "individuals have been extra ready to empathise with a narrative like this," Ms Cho stated.

She wonders if, even a couple of years earlier, the movie would have "discovered this stage of public understanding".

Whereas the MeToo motion sparked conversations about harassment and assaults in workplaces and outdoors the house, exposing abuse inside households, she stated, remains to be extensively seen as "spitting in a single's personal face" - however this film has made extra room to speak about it.

The World of Love is just not with out its critics. Some viewers, together with survivors, stated it felt unrepresentative of their actuality as a result of it downplayed the concern and lasting harm of abuse, portraying households as extra supportive than they typically have been.

However criticism doesn't overshadow the movie's worth, critic Min Youngjun stated, including that The World of Love has created a wholesome house for speaking about sexual violence and its victims.

"The mark of a very good movie is just not how many individuals preferred it versus did not prefer it. What issues is whether or not it creates an area wherein we are able to discuss to one another about what it has placed on the desk."