Star of Ulsan

Directed by Jung Ki-hyuk (정기혁)

Written by Jung Ki-hyuk (정기혁)

117min | Release date in South Korea: 2024/01/24

Synopsis
Star of Ulsan calmly captures a way of life that is silently collapsing. Yunhwa, who works at a shipyard to manage their livelihood after her husband′s accident, receives a notice of unfair dismissal. To make matters worse, their relatives suddenly come and try to take away the family land. Her son loses a large sum of money with Bitcoin, and her daughter dreams of escaping to Seoul while giving up her studies. Instead of resolving the misfortunes and conflicts surrounding the characters at once or erasing them neatly, the film chooses to stare at the uncomfortable situations as long as possible. In that way, the film, which makes it impossible to turn away from the stains and fatigue of life, reminds us of moments and things that cannot be turned away and should not be turned away. It is trustworthy because the characters do not give up hope nor indulge in self-pity easily. SONG Kyung-won

27th Busan International Film Festival

Source