The dystopia of Director Park Se-young, chosen by Philippe Bourbier

The Worldview of a Next-Generation Cineaste Selected by a Palme d'Or Producer

Director Park Se-young's first feature film, 'The Fin', is set to be released on the 22nd. This work was marked as a global project from its production stage. This is because Philippe Bober, who leads the European arthouse film industry by producing Palme d'Or winners such as 'Triangle of Sadness' and 'The Square', has joined as a producer. Bober participated in this project after noticing the original vision and visuals shown in Park Se-young's previous work, 'The Fifth Thoracic Vertebra'.

Park Se-young has made her presence known through short films such as 'The Masked Monster', 'Twilight', and 'MICHELLE', and 'The Fifth Thoracic Vertebra' in particular received intense support from critics. 'The Fin' started from the idea of a short film of the same name that the director presented in 2017. It is the result of expanding it into a massive feature-length narrative by combining the unstable social atmosphere of the pandemic era.

The production process had to endure a long period of four years due to the aftermath of COVID-19. In the meantime, the film's color and composition were completed as a result different from the original plan. The work has been invited to the New Directors Competition at the 78th Locarno Film Festival, and a French release has also been confirmed.

Mutants and Class Conflict Hidden Behind a 4,000km Barrier

The setting of the film is a near-future unified Korea, where a massive 4,000km barrier has been erected to separate the land from the sea due to severe marine pollution. As implied by the line, "The sky was dyed red. Black raindrops fell into my mouth. Drip. Drip. Drip.", the polluted nature even changes the physical appearance of humans.

'Omegas', beings with fins protruding due to genetic mutations, live both inside and outside this massive barrier. Omegas have long, three-toed feet and fins. To avoid discrimination and hatred, they hide themselves by cutting off their toes and using fake foot models. Outside the barrier, Omegas are exploited for forced labor, cleaning the polluted ocean.

The rookie official Soojin (played by Kim Pu-reum) is tasked with managing the Omegas. One day, Soojin witnesses a scene where other Omegas directly dispose of the body of an Omega who died in the sea. At the same time, she sees a surviving Omega, 'Gou' (played by Gou), escaping by leaving the zone. Gou evades the pursuit and goes to find Mia (played by Yeji Yeon), who works at an indoor fishing pond. What Gou hands to Mia is the severed fin of a dead Omega. The owner of the fin was Mia's father, who passed away at the labor site and delivered it to his daughter with his final wish.

Because her father was an Omega, Mia believes she is also an Omega, and lives hiding among humans while harboring resentment that her father abandoned her. Soojin's mother stays shut in her room, expressing strong hostility that Omegas must be killed. Soojin sometimes develops a favorable view after listening to Mia's piano playing, but eventually, seeing Mia's feet pressing the piano pedals, she instinctively realizes she is an Omega and reports her. Upon receiving the report, senior officials arrive at Mia's piano academy heavily armed.

The Combination of Golden Hope Fishing Pond and Original Aesthetics

The main space in the film, 'Golden Hope Fishing Pond', is an open set inspired by actual indoor fishing ponds in Korea. This space, filled with humid air and the smell of fish, sees the coexistence of brilliant lighting and the wounds of repeatedly caught fish. Director Park Se-young took charge of the screenplay, directing, and cinematography, building a dystopian atmosphere through sepia-toned rough textures, heavily corrected colors, and sizzling grain effects. The director stated that the film is by no means a 'comfortable to watch' work.

The actors' performances also hold the center of the drama. Yeji Yeon, playing Mia, portrayed a character standing on the boundary between reality and fantasy with restrained emotions. Kim Pu-reum, playing Soojin, expressed the wavering inner self of an official who questions the social order. Gou evokes both fear and compassion through restrained dialogue and delicate movements.

Director Park Se-young has established a unique style through excessive visuals, unpredictable development, and the use of an open set that overwhelms the artificial. Within the film's worldview, settings exist such as "you become infected if you come into contact with an Omega" and "you die if you hear the cry of an Omega".