Official Selection - Out of Competition 2015 / Stop / South Korea 2015
A young married couple were exposed to radiation during the meltdown at Japan's Fukushima nuclear reactor. The young woman is pregnant and she and her husband must decide whether or not to keep the baby. Their assumption that the child will be disabled is certainly realistic, and they both gradually succumb to madness. Kim Ki-duk’s latest film focuses on a highly topical issue.
During the meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant, a young couple are exposed to radiation and are subsequently evacuated to Tokyo. But Miki was pregnant at the time of the explosion and so she is visited by a government official who offers to arrange an abortion in order to hush things up. With the child at risk, Miki and husband Sabu must decide whether to keep it or terminate the pregnancy. The assumption that the baby will be affected is very real, and both gradually succumb to paranoia that verges on insanity. Each ends up dealing with the situation in his or her own way, and despite the incredibly tense atmosphere and explicit scenes, the climax offers an intriguing and novel solution. Shot using a handheld camera, renowned Korean director and festival veteran Kim Ki-duk makes no bones about using his raw, highly topical picture as a political tool in the service of the public, setting it against a backdrop of just two individuals and their desperate, claustrophobic situation that will leave the viewer anything but indifferent.
Rudolf Schimera
85 min / Color, DCP
World premiere
Director Kim Ki-duk
/ Screenplay Kim Ki-duk
/ Dir. of Photography Kim Ki-duk
/ Editor Kim Ki-duk
/ Art Director Kim Ki-duk
/ Producer Kim Ki-duk
/ Production Kim Ki-duk Film
/ Cast Tsubasa Nakae, Natsuko Hori
/ Sales Finecut Co., Ltd
Kim Ki-duk (b. 1960, Bonghwa, South Korea) studied in Paris before debuting in film in 1996 with the low-budget movie Crocodile (Ag-o). Beginning with Wild Animals (Yasaeng dongmul bohoguyeog, 1997), his subsequent movies have often been shot in quick succession and are regularly screened at the biggest festivals (e.g. The Isle / Seom, 2000, competed at Venice), with many picked up for Czech distribution. His best-known films include Samaritan Girl (Samaria, 2004 – Silver Bear at the Berlinale), 3-Iron (Bin jip, 2004 – Silver Lion at Venice), the documentary Arirang (2011 – Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes), and Pieta (2012 – Golden Lion at Venice). Kim Ki-duk has presented a number of his films at Karlovy Vary, among them The Coast Guard (Hae anseon, 2002), which played the 38th festival, and Time (Shi gan, 2006), which opened the 41st.
Finecut Co., Ltd
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Kim Ki-duk
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