Grown Up

Directed by Jang Hye-yeong (장혜영)

Written by Jang Hye-yeong (장혜영)

98min | Release date in South Korea: 2018/12/13

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Synopsis
A heartwarming story of two sisters, Hye-yeong and Hye-jeong. The film chronicles Hye-yeong’s struggle to survive this society with her younger sister Hye-jeong, who had previously been placed in a care center for disabled people. Just because she was born with a disability, Hye-jeong had no choice but to live in a care center from the ages 13 to 30, but Hye-yeong starts asking questions about her sister’s life. The two sisters move in together and prepare to live as members of the society—shopping and sharing various foods together. However, Hye-jeong doesn’t find the society very helpful. Consequently, Hye-yeong spends a lot of time looking after Hye-jeong, and the two get to know each other better. At the same time, the film takes a close look at the people around Hye-jeong. That is where the true strength of the film lies. We are not led to pity or blow the whistle on the life of Hye-jeong who, as a social minority, had to remain invisible. Nor do we perceive Hye-yeong’s task of looking after her younger sister as overbearing or exhausting. The film achieves a balance between Hye-jeong’s journey to become who she really is and the way Hye-yeong and her friends come to terms with her new identity. The result is a symmetrical perspective towards both the one who looks after and the one who is looked after. [LEE Seung Min]

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